Cops seize substantial quantity of TTCB documents in fraud probe

THE police have seized "a substantial quantity of documents" from the office of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) in Balmain, Couva. The seizure took place on May 8 after a search warrant was executed by WPC Augustine Henry during a probe into alleged fraud-related offences in the local governing body.

The exercise was co-ordinated by Deputy CoP Suzette Martin and supervised by acting Asst Supt Stanley

Officers from the Special Investigations Unit carried out the operation.

In a media release on May 9, police said the search was conducted in the presence of the TTCB administrative manager and TTCB president Azim Bassarath. The latter was not present when at least four police vehicles arrived around 9 am. Bassarath arrived at the TTCB office around 11.45 am.

The search lasted around five hours and documents "believed to be of evidential value" were taken.

Bassarath told Newsday the search was in relation the $500,000 allegedly misappropriated by a TTCB employee who no longer works at the organsiation. Former TTCB treasurer Kiswah Chaitoo raised a red flag about the missing money in late 2023 and reported the matter to the police.

He was later removed by the TTCB after a vote of no confidence was passed. He was accused of breaching his duty of confidentiality by reporting the matter to the police before the TTCB had conducted its own investigation, and also sharing sensitive information with the media.