One day after his home and office were searched by members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Ramsey Ali resigned as president of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), a mere seven months after being elected.
Ali’s house at happy Acres, East Coast Demerara, was one of several raided by the Police following the granting of an Anton Piller Order to Attorney General Anil Nandlall on Friday.
Stabroek Sports understands that the Charlotte and Camp Streets, Goodwood Racing Service business premises of immediate past president of the GCB Chetram Singh, was also searched along with the home and business place of Lionel Jaikarran in Kingston.
According to reports reaching Stabroek Sport police visited the Kingston home of GCB Secretary Anand Sanasie but found the place locked.
Ali described the events as a dark day for sports in Guyana.
“Very, very dark day.
He said he resigned because his personal and business life was being maligned in the press as he was being accused of “all kinds of different things.
“How can I continue to function? I am the CEO of a public company. It’s taking a toll on my personal life, family life and business life,” he told Stabroek Sport last evening.
According to Ali, the police visited his home on Monday.
“They were looking for documents in relation to the cricket board. I took them to my office because there is a court order which states that I must permit them and I handed over everything I had,” said Ali.
Ali was elected president of the GCB at last July’s annual general meeting of the GCB.
Only delegates from the Essequibo and Berbice Cricket Board were present at the AGM and there were conflicting reports as to the actual voting process by which Ali was elected and whether there was a quorum or not.
Members of the Demerara Cricket Board, the third affiliate of the GCB, were unable to vote due to a court injunction.
In the lead up to the GCB’s AGM, there were separate AGM’s of the DCB resulting in two bodies claiming to represent the DCB.
Ali said the move by the government effectively shut down Guyana’s cricket.
“I told them it was unnecessary to shut down the GCB. The IMC (Interim Management Committee) role is noble…. the IMC was going to answer all those questions and the GCB was going to cooperate with the IMC,” he said.
It is also unclear whether the Guyana Cricket Team which lost by eight wickets to leaders Jamaica in the third round of the West Indies cricket Board’s four-day tournament will continue in the competition.
They are due to play Barbados in their fourth round clash from March 9-12 but Ali feels that the possibility of them continuing in the tournament was unlikely.
“No!” said Ali, in response to the question. “My own personal view is that the West Indies board will not allow the team to continue in the tournament.
“The West Indies Board will never recognize an institution like the IMC,” Ali said emphatically.
