New Delhi: Legendary West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding has accused Cricket West Indies (CWI) of misusing a fund of $500,000 which the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had given to its West Indies counterpart in 2013-14 for the benefit of former Windies cricketers.
Holding, in a YouTube interview on his regular program “Mikey – Holding Nothing Back” with interviewer Asif Khan, focussed on a 60-page CWI audit report.
He said that during a past CWI administration, the BCCI gave a monetary gift intended for past West Indies players, but they never received it.
“In 2014, the BCCI donated half a million dollars to West Indies cricket board to help past players, specifically for the past players. It was a donation by the BCCI. I am a past player, and I am not saying I want any of it,” said Holding.
“But I know a lot of past players who have not heard one cent of the half a million dollars going to any of them. I am absolutely sure if they had done that, they would have made a big hullabaloo about it. Where is that half a million dollars?”
He said that he will divulge the details in his next show.
Focussing on other parts of the audit report, the West Indies legend said people in the Caribbean have been asking for a forensic audit and a governance report to change the governance of cricket in the West Indies because they are not satisfied with the running of cricket in the region.
He wondered why CWI did not make public an audit which was completed in January.
“Former President to Prime Ministers have been calling for forensic audit over the governance in cricket in the Caribbean. The current regime did not do a forensic audit, but they did an audit. They had the report in January, but they never released it. The 60-page audit report does not look good. It is a damning and harsh report. I want to delve into it. I picked three items from the report,” Holding said.
“On August 8, 2018, the CWI received $1,34,0200 on behalf of Dominica Cricket Association from a third party (apparently a betting company via Switzerland) which appears to be an off-shore corporation. In this particular situation, CWI was a financial conduit. This money was paid over to DCA in three tranches – USD 104,100 on November 16, 2018, USD 15,700 on August 2 2019, and USD 14,400 on September 21, 2019,” he quoted from the report.
When asked if he was charging the board of money laundering, Holding clarified, “I am not accusing them of laundering money, nor does the auditor. But I find one particular transaction not above board. Things like this should be above board and no one can be accused of anything.”
