Team Herald
PANJIM: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday served a showcase notice to Goa Cricket Association (GCA) senior officials Chetan Desai and Vinod Phadke for alleged fraud.
The two, along with GCA treasurer Akbar Mulla, were arrested by the Economic Offences Cell (EOC) of the Goa Police on Wednesday for alleged misappropriation of money and forging signatures.
BCCI has also given them 15 days to reply to the notice and until the investigation on their alleged wrongdoings continues, they will remain suspended from the Indian cricket board.
Desai is the current chairman of the BCCI Marketing Committee as well as GCA president, while Phadke is the current GCA secretary. He also served as the manager of the India cricket team during an ODI series against South Africa in 2015.
“It has been widely reported in the media that the President, Secretary and Treasurer of the Goa Cricket Association have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for serious allegations in connection with misappropriation of large sums of money of the Goa Cricket Association,” BCCI Secretary Ajay Shirke said in a statement.
“Two of the above members also work as functionaries of the BCCI representing their state cricket association on certain important committees of the BCCI. Given the serious nature of the allegations, the BCCI has decided to investigate the said allegations as well and has accordingly issued show cause notices to the President and the Secretary of the Goa Cricket Association, under the Memorandum and Rules and Regulations of the BCCI (‘Rules’), as to why action should not be taken against them as per the rules of BCCI,” the statement added.
“The two officials will remain suspended from the BCCI committees. Pending the process of inquiry which has begun, the BCCI by virtue of the powers vested with the President and the Secretary of the BCCI, has suspended the President of the Goa Cricket Association, Chetan Desai, from acting as chairman of the Marketing Committee of the BCCI and Vinod Phadke, the Secretary of the Goa Cricket Association, from acting as a member of the Information and Technology Committee of the BCCI,” the statement said.
Dessai, Phadke and Mulla are accused of siphoning off money and encashing a BCCI cheque of Rs 2.87 crore, which was the subsidy from the Indian cricket board’s TV rights in 2006.
