Basketball body suspends secretary, treasurer
Probe into St Lucia trip underway
By Clyde Pestano
Stabroek News
November 19, 2003
Guyana Amateur Basketball Association's president Raphael Douglas (centre) makes a point during yesterday's press conference (Lawrence Fanfair photo).
Raphael Douglas, president of the Guyana Amateur Basket-ball Association (GABA) said yesterday that a special general meeting of the association has passed a unanimous motion to suspend secretary Perry Woolford and treasurer Eon Andrews pending the results of an investigation into irregularities which occurred during an under-19 tour to St Lucia.
Douglas also said that Sonia Williams, a receptionist at the Harbour Light Inn in St Lucia, was to come to Guyana soon to deal with issues arising from a debt incurred at the Inn during a recent visit by Guyana's U-19 basketball players.
Douglas revealed this during an interview with Stabroek Sport after the conclusion of a press conference yesterday at the association's headquarters on New Market Street, to update the media on the team's visit and events which transpired during and after the tour.
During the briefing, Douglas read a letter faxed to him by Williams in which she documented the stay of Guyana's under-19 squad.
According to the letter, on October 24, 2003, 19 members of the touring party arrived in St Lucia and Andrews, who was manager of the team gave Williams US$288 for one night's stay. She said she was assured that Woolford would pay the balance on his arrival the next day. The letter said that Woolford and two other persons arrived the next day and assured the Inn that costs arising from the team's board would be paid the following day.
However, the letter said, just prior to the team's departure on October 29, a Mr Didus Fedee undertook full responsibility for the payment of the EC$4,049.20, which was outstanding.
Contacted yesterday, Woolford said that he had placed the matter in his lawyer's hands and would prefer not to comment.
Meanwhile, the GABA president was adamant that the tour to St Lucia was sanctioned by his organization. Douglas was responding to a claim by Woolford in another section of the media that the tour was not sanctioned by the GABA.
The president presented correspondence documenting a trip to St Lucia in February this year by Woolford and his (Douglas's) wife to make plans for the tour.
According to Douglas, the squad of youngsters was to participate in the St Lucia Under-19 schools' basketball tournament. He added that he had designated Woolford and Andrews as the officials to accompany the young men. According to him, they were given full responsibility for the venture along with Hubert Adams, the coach. He said that he was deeply involved with the planning and promotion of the Yohance Douglas Memorial Basketball Tourna-ment and as such had left the overseas tournament in their hands.
He added that he was given oral reports which assured that everything was "going fine".
The president said it was after the team returned that he realized that everything was not as it seemed.
Douglas said that the matter was under investigation and that Woolford and Andrews have been suspended. He said this course of action was taken after he summoned a special general meeting and they failed to show up.
He said the meeting passed a unanimous motion to suspend the duo. According to him in the interim they have been replaced by Dwayne Fowler and Riad Boyce as acting secretary and treasurer respectively.
The GABA president apologised on his own behalf and on behalf of the GABA to the parents and guardians of the under-19 squad. He said he accepted that he was also to blame since as president he should have ensured that certain controls were in place.