Team Herald
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PANJIM: Clubs affiliated to the Goa Cricket Association (GCA) along with former Goa Ranji players have written to Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar highlighting the alleged misappropriation of funds and forgery by GCA office bearers, on Tuesday.
The memorandum signed by 20 clubs along with nine former Ranji players alleged that Chetan Desai, Vinod Phadke and Akbar Mulla were involved in corruption and misappropriation of funds amounting to Rs 2.87 crore and 26 lakh, ticket scam, financial mismanagement and cheating, for personal gains.
The clubs and former players have asked for a thorough investigation of the charges framed against the three office bearers and to appoint an administration to run the GCA affairs for a fair investigation and help streamlining the association.
It pointed out that Phadke was involved in the ticket scam and charge sheeted by a Margao court for printing duplicate tickets. He was also indicted by the Pendse Commission and later resigned from the post of president after SAG issued a de-recognition notice to the GCA. Knowing that he can’t head the association, due to the Pendse report, he presently holds the post of secretary in the managing committee.
GCA President Desai was also on the radar for financial mismanagement of Rs 3.5 crore for procuring floodlights, digital and LED scoreboards for GCA ground, Porvorim, without the approval of the managing committee and NOC of government. He was indicted for financial irregularities amounting to Rs 35 lakh, collected as life membership fees, which was not deposited in the bank. The said fraud was probed by the investigating committee appointed by the government in 2014, of which the interim report has been already submitted to the government for necessary action.
Desai and Phadke were also involved in a fraud amounting to Rs 26 lakh, an amount withdrawn by bearer cheque from Federal Bank, Panjim branch in 2014, stated the memorandum.
A cheque amounting Rs 2.8 crore issued to GCA on October 23, 2006, by BCCI as a subsidy for TV, was also fraudulently deposited on April 13, 2007 by opening a fake account and withdrawing the same without any authority, it stated.
