Latest update February 8th, 2025 6:23 PM
May 20, 2020 Sports
Former President of the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Dave Cameron has threatened to sue the board if he is not given a fair chance to respond to Pannell Kerr Foster (PKF) audit report before it is being published.
Cameron through his lawyer Loy L. A. Weste has written to the Chief Executive Officer of CWI, Mr. Jonathan Grave questioning the credibility of the report. Cameron has demanded, without prejudice to any rights he may now have a full copy of this report within 48 hours, and the right to respond fully to all of the questions, comments or allegations made by PKF, and statements made by Mr. Michael Holding on SportsMax and the President within 21 days.
The letter stated that, “Should CWI whether by way of the Board or management or otherwise seek in the meantime to publish the report, or refuse to meet Cameron’s demands for a copy of the report and time to respond, he will have no alternative but to seek the appropriate orders and remedies from the High Court.”
Here is a full copy of the letter that Kaieteur Sport managed to obtain:
May 18, 2020
Mr. Jonathan Grave
Chief Executive Officer
Cricket West Indies
P.O. Box 616W
Factory Road
St. John’s, Antigua
West Indies
Dear Mr. Grave
Re: The Matter of Mr. Whycliffe (Dave) Cameron
PK.F AUDIT REPORT & CRICKET WEST INDIES
We act for Mr. Whycliffe (Dave) Cameron, the former President of CWI together with Mr Anthony W. Astaphan, S C.
We are instructed that CWI has secured a report, sometimes described as an audit, from Pannell Kerr Foster (PKF).
This report has not been disclosed to our client for his comments or reply. Nevertheless, on the 26th day of April 2020 month client received the following email:
“From: George Dobell
Subject: PFK report
To: Dave Cameron
Dear Mr Cameron,
We, at ESPNcricinfo, intend to publish the contents of a report compiled by P FK into your period as president of CWI in the next few days.
As you may be aware, this report identifies some serious concerns. A copy of our piece is attached.
We would like to offer you an opportunity to provide your perspective on the report and, perhaps, counter some of the suggestions made within it. To that end, are you available for an interview, please?
Yours sincerely,
George Dobell.
Senior Correspondent, ESPNcricinfo
The communication from George Dobell made it clear that in his mind this report “identifies some serious concerns.” This was reflected in the several and serious allegations against our client whether express or implied, which were listed in the piece consisting of some three (3) pages.
My client instructs that notwithstanding he had not seen the report, and did not have access to any of the material allegedly reviewed by PKF, he informed Mr Dobell that the allegations directed at him were material misrepresentations of fact and false; However, none of the allegations were made public by ESPNcricinfo or our client.
On or about the 15th day of May 2020, Michael Holding was on SportsMax addressing to the world some of questions raised or allegations made by PKF including the grave allegation of money-laundering by Directors or CWI. Mr Holding indicated that he received a copy of the report by email. SportsMax’s story line referred to the report as “leaked.” There is no question that Mr Holding believed that the contents of one part of this PKF report raised the real prospect that the offence of money-laundering either occurred or may have occurred, and/ or exposed CWI to the risk of involvement in money-laundering.
At all material times our client was the President of CWI. These allegations have now gone viral throughout the region and elsewhere.
Further, on the 17th day of May 2020 the Trinidad and Tobago Newsday Online Newspaper published an article where Michael Holding alleges that (the then) West Indies Cricket Board withheld from past players the sum of US$500,000.00 presented to the CWI as a gift by the BCCI to past West Indies players.
On the 17th day of May 2020 our client was informed of a public media release and statement by the President of CWI concerning this report. The President said among other things “In carrying out their assessments P KF uncovered some illustrations of questionable executive standards and practices … ”
The President’s statement and especially the use of the word “uncovered” carries the imputation that PKF uncovered previously hidden and unknown material, which justified or warranted the making of serious questions, comments or allegations directed at or against our client as the President of CWI. That this is so is also fully satisfied by the piece for publication prepared by ESPNcricinfo. This is a grave imputation against management, the members of the then Board and the internal and external auditors at CWI, and our client.
As indicated above, our client has not seen the report, nor has he been given any opportunity to respond to it, either by PKF or CWI. In fact, at no time did PKF seek to ascertain any fact or comment from him. However, the report or parts thereof were made known to ESPNCricinfo, and Mr Holding” Thereafter, some of the questions, comments or allegations were made public by Mr Holding, and the President in his statement of the 17th day of May 2020.
Our client maintains that that he has serious concerns about the credibility of this report, which involved the Chairman of the Audit and Risk Committee selected and/ or appointed by the President or Board.
In the circumstances, and having regard to the basic principles of fairness and the right of our client to protect his reputation, our client demands, without prejudice to any rights he may now have, a full copy of this report within 48 hours, and the right to respond fully to all of the questions, comments or allegations made by PKF, and statements made by Mr Holding and the President within 21 days. Should CWI whether by way of the Board or management or otherwise seek in the meantime to publish the report, or refuse to meet our client’s demands for a copy of the report and time to respond, our client will have no alternative but to seek the appropriate orders and remedies from the High Court.
We trust you will be guided accordingly,
Yours faithfully,
LOY L. A. WESTE
Attorney-at-Law
cc Mr. Richard (Ricky) Skerritt. The President CWI
Dr. Kishore Shallow, The Vice President CWI
The Board of Directors, CWI
President Skerrit was a director on CWI for the entire four years that Cameron was president. A usually reliable source informed that Skerritt allegedly commissioned the report using his friend Wilbur Harrigan’s company, without the Board authorization and that the report has no evidentiary attachments, and appears to be more of a distraction from the current mismanagement at CWI.
Feb 08, 2025
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