The assets of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) both movable and unmovable and including bank accounts have been transferred to a private limited liability company, a press release from attorney general Anil Nandlall stated yesterday.
According to the release this information came to light by way of an affidavit filed by 13 officers of the Guyana Cricket Board yesterday.
“This affidavit was sworn by Anand Sanasie in which he deposes under oath, for the first time, that on the 29th of August, 2011, that is, after the Honourable Chief Justice Chang had pronounced, inter alia, that the Guyana Cricket Board has no legal persona, is a legal non-entity and the election of officers to that body cannot be recognized by the Court, a Resolution was passed by the Executive Committee of the Guyana Cricket Board, comprising of the said thirteen (13) persons, to transfer all the assets of the Guyana Cricket Board over to a private limited liability company bearing the name D.E.B. Essential Organization Incorporated,” the release stated.
Last Friday, acting Chief Justice Ian Chang granted an interim injunction restraining the 13 members of the GCB from functioning.
He also granted Anton Piller orders which resulted in the homes and offices of six of the 13 officials of the GCB being searched and a Mareva injunction, which was to effectively freeze all the assets of the GCB.
But, it seems the GCB no longer have any assets to freeze as all the assets have been transferred to the private company.
According to the release, a resolution was attached to Court documents.
Also attached were the Certificate of Incorporation of this limited liability company and the incorporating documents, which disclosed the following:
(i) Anand Sanasie and Fizul Bacchus are the incorporators of this company; and
(ii) Anand Sanasie is the company secretary;
(iii) Anand Sanasie is a director of the company;
(iv) Fizul Bacchus is a director of the company.
On the said day, the following persons were also appointed directors:
(i) Ramsey Ali,
(ii) Alfred Mentore,
(iii) Dru Bahadur,
(iv) Anand Kalludeen,
(v) Colin Europe,
(vi) Troy Mendonca,
(vii) Terrence Holder,
(viii) Rayon Griffith,
(ix) Nazimul Drepaul,
(x) Raj Singh,
(xi) Sheikh Ahmad.
The release also noted that by a Deed of Transfer, executed by Chetram Singh and Lionel Jaikarran, as trustees of the GCB, all assets and properties of the GCB were transferred to D.E.B. Essential Organization Inc., and further authorized D.E.B. Essential Organization Inc. to take the necessary legal steps to regularize ownership of the said properties.
These properties include:
(i) all office and other furniture,
(ii) cricket gears
(iii) the LBI Hostel and Practice Facility,
(iv) Anna Regina Hostel,
(v) the GNIC Practice Facility,
(vi) GCB office,
(vii) one minibus,
(viii) the media centre at Bourda,
(ix) Guyana Bank of Trade and Industry Account No. 1084826,
(x) Demerara Bank Account No. 400-7217,
(xi) Bank of Nova Scotia Account Nos. 6717 and 7312,
(xii) Republic Bank Account No. 650-556-4,
(xiii) New Building Society Account No. C1873.
According to Nandlall, the transfer effectively means that all properties previously owned by the GCB are now owned by the private limited company which is owned and controlled by the above-mentioned persons.
“This state of affairs must, at a minimum, be of the greatest concern to the Guyanese public and the entire Caribbean region,” Nandlall stated in the release
He added:”It is difficult to predict how the West Indies Cricket Board would react. It must be emphasized that the aforesaid mentioned persons, as a grouping, have filed no less than five legal proceedings in which they have sworn a number of affidavits under oath never disclosing to the Court anything in respect of the aforementioned matters.
“Indeed, these affidavits contain, what appear to be numerous false assertions, that these very properties which are aforementioned are owned by the Guyana Cricket Board.
“These proceedings were filed by these persons in their purported capacity as officers of the Guyana Cricket Board.
“Numerous public statements have been made by these persons over the last six months positively saying that the Government and the Minister of Sport are interfering with the assets of the Guyana Cricket Board. Well, since August, 2011, these assets have been owned by a private company which is owned by these very persons.
These documents, including the several affidavits, will be transmitted to the Police,” the release stated.
Meanwhile, Ramsey Ali tendered his resignation as president of the GCB on Monday following the search on his house and office. Ali has said that he has also informed the WICB of his resignation.
The WICB Board of Directors met in St Lucia over the week-end where they received an update on the new developments in Guyana.
According to a release from the Communications Department of the WICB, the WICB “re-affirmed its recognition of and support for the Guyana Cricket Board as the authorised body for cricket.”
