The appeal hearing into the half-a-million dollars that is allegedly missing from the T&T Cricket Board (TTCB) which has led to a ‘No Confidence’ motion passed by the TTCB against its former treasurer Chartered accountant Kiswah Chaitoo, will now continue until June before the Supreme Appellate Committee (SAC) of the TTCB.
When the matter was convened Chaitoo was represented by attorneys Dinesh Rambally and Stefan Ramkissoon. At the hearing, which took place at the National Cricket Centre in Balmain, Couva, on Tuesday both parties indicated that they were ready to proceed.
Chairman of the committee, Justice of Appeal Prakash Moosai, enquired from Navindra Ramnanan, one of the two attorneys for the TTCB if the TTCB had filed any submissions in reply to Chaitoo’s claims.
Ramnanan indicated that he intended to rely on his previously filed submissions, however, this was met with resistance from the Committee. The chairman indicated that Chaitoo raised very interesting and pertinent points that the TTCB should respond to.
Attorney Rambally then objected to purported minutes of an April 17, 2024, Special General Meeting of members where the TTCB sought to ratify the minutes of another Special General Meeting wherein the Motion of No Confidence was moved.
Rambally contested that this meeting was ultra vires to the TTCB’s constitution as these minutes can only be ratified at a quarterly meeting. Rambally then noted that in the April 17, 2024 meeting, TTCB president Azim Bassarath indicated that he convened the meeting on the urgent request of the Supreme Appellant Committee and indicated that according to his records, this was not accurate. The Committee confirmed that no such request was made.
Rambally told the Committee that at the time of the April 17, 2024 meeting, other members of the Board refused to attend because they also held the view that it was an unconstitutional meeting. Notably, members of the North Zone, South West Zone, Richard Ramkissoon, a National League representative and the owner of Central Sports, and the umpires association all refrained from attending that meeting.
The SAC has given the Board until May 27, 2024, to file a response with regards to Chaitoo’s claim which is the constitutionally of the April 17 Special Meeting, and Chaitoo will have until June 10, 2024, to lodge a reply.
The matter will be case-managed by the SAC and thereafter, the determination will be made if the SAC wants to hear from Chaitoo in person or based on the submissions the SAC can decide on the matter.
Attorney Henry Chase also appeared alongside Ramnanan for the TTCB, along with general secretary Altaf Baksh.
Chaitoo has been accused of breaching Articles 25 and 27 of the TTCB constitution and has been charged with the following:
1. Procuring documents of the TTCB and keeping same in his possession without the authorisation of the National Executive.
2. Making a report to the T&T Police Service without the knowledge/approval of the National Executive while an internal investigation was being conducted by the TTCB into said allegations.
3. Intentionally making statements to the media and at an Annual General Meeting that are known to be untrue.
4. Refusing to attend a meeting of the National Executive called to inquire into matters of concern to the Board that arose from the conduct of Mr Kiswah Chaitoo.
Chaitoo appealed the Board’s no-confidence motion between March 5-10, via a 14-page notice to the Supreme Appellate Committee which is led by Justice Moosai (Chairman) and comprises Norris Ferguson, Ammar Samaroo, Samuel Saunders, Rennie Gosine, Kent Chisayawan and Patsy Joseph.