More trouble in offing for embattled BCCI?
New Delhi, Oct. 27: The Board of Control for Cricket in India may encounter fresh trouble after facing the prospect of the Justice Lodha Committee asking for Deloitte’s audit reports on the functioning of the its state associations, which are said to be damning.
According to a report on a news magazine‘s website the audit reports by the US-based professional services organisation are said to reveal misuse of funds by state associations and could bolster the Supreme Courtappointed Lodha panel’s offense against the Indian board. For now, the reports are in the custody of Amarchand Mangaldas, BCCI’s legal advisors.
“If they get these and place them before the Supreme Court there is every likelihood of a new investigation being launched into the affairs of the BCCI and the state associations. The Deloitte report/s on the functioning of some associations are just damning,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying.
The source went on to accuse members of the Goa Cricket Association of buying as many as 18 cars for personal needs, with expenses such as fuel getting billed in the association’s name. The Hyderabad Cricket Association was accused of distributing gold coins among its managing committee members and gifting their wives jewellry. The Odisha body was described by the source as one whose accounts were handwritten in the digital age. Another source close to the Indian board was quoted as having told a newspaper that the BCCI would lose any sympathy that they were currently enjoying in their lock-down with the apex court.
“If that does happen, then we will lose whatever sympathy the institution may currently be enjoying in its tussle with the Supreme Court,” the source was quoted as saying.
The report also stated that the Hyderabad association gave an undertaking in a letter to the board, with HCA president and former India offspinner Arshad Ayub promising to rectify the irregularities.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court said the Lodha Committee will appoint an independent auditor to study the BCCI’s finances, including contracts involving media rights and other tenders above a certain threshold value.