The election and/or appointment of attorney-at-law Stephen Lewis on May 3, 2018 as Ombudsman of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) was done in violation of two sections of the Guyana Cricket Administration Act (GCAA), High Court Judge Fidela Corbin-Lincoln ruled yesterday (April 3).
Apart from declaring his election/appointment illegal, Justice Corbin-Lincoln further ruled that the election of the nine-member committee was also illegal. This committee included Fizaul Bacchus, Vice President; Anand Sanasie, Secretary; and Anand Kalladeen, Treasurer. Virendra Chintamani, Assistant Secretary; Rajendra Singh, Marketing Manager; Andy Ramnarine, Public Relations Officer; Colin Europe, Chairman of the Competition Committee; Rayon Griffith, Chairman of Senior Selection Panel; and Nazimul Drepaul, Chairman of Junior Selection Panel, also had made up the executive committee.
Last year, Rabindranauth Saywack in his capacity as Secretary of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) filed action in the High Court challenging the election of Lewis and the executive committee.
According to him, on May 3, 2018, a purported extraordinary meeting was held by persons holding themselves out as the executive committee of the GCB and, at the said meeting, Lewis was elected as Cricket Ombudsman and later appointed by Minister of Sports, Dr. George Norton.
The said election was purportedly held pursuant to Section 10 of the GCAA.
However, Saywack said that, at the meeting, it was impossible to have a valid and legal quorum as there were no representatives of the Berbice and Essequibo Cricket Boards present and voting. There were only nine representatives from the Demerara Cricket Board present at the meeting and voting. Each county is allowed nine representatives.
The required quorum for such a meeting is 14 members, Saywack noted, adding that the Ombudsman shall be elected by a two-thirds majority of all members present and voting.
As it regards to the members of the executive committee, Saywack said, “The purported election of the executive committee at the Ordinary General Meeting [OGM] is null, void, and of no effect as the said election was contrary to the provisions of Article 10 of the Constitution of the GCB.”
Article 10 of the GCAA No. 14 of 2014 provides that the election of the executive committee shall be held at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the GCB.
Among other things, he argued that, “The nominations made at the said OGM were in breach of Article 10 (d) of the GCB Constitution as the nominations were not submitted to a Select Committee for ratification. Additionally, no Returning Officer was nominated and approved at the OGM as required by Article 10 (e) of the GCB Constitution.”
However, despite ruling that the executive committee was illegal, Justice Corbin-Lincoln refused to grant an order by Saywack which sought to have the administrative officers at GCB be authorised to carry out the functions and manage the affairs of the organisation until a lawful OGM and/or Annual General Meeting is convened.
Attorney-at-law Arudranauth Gossai appeared for Saywack.
Being no stranger to the cricket fraternity, Lewis previously served as President and Vice President of the Everest Cricket Club. He also served as a member of the GCB Disciplinary Committee for several years.
