Lucky Committee meets WIPA

Justice Lucky, a member of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea based in Germany, has been mandated to investigate all parts of the deal and submit a report to the WICB.

Today he will interrogate officials of the West Indies Players’s Association including top advisors Desmond Haynes, a former Test opening batsman; radio comentator Donna Symmonds, a qualified lawyer; attorney Kusha Harracksingh and labour union leader David Abdulah.

This meeting will highlight the first part of the day’s session after which Justice Lucky will quiz the Digicel attorneys who are based in Jamaica.

Justice Lucky is expected to complete his report next week for presentation to Teddy Griffith, the outgoing president of the WICB.

Last year the regional game was thrown into disarray when Digicel entered into a five-year contract with the WICB after Cable & Wireless’ 18-year-old association with the WI team was not renewed.

Serious issues then developed between the WICB and several players including star batsman Brian Lara who were contracted with Cable & Wireless.

As a result of their individual contracts with C&W, the players were omitted from the regional team to play in a one-day tournament in Australia earlier this year but last minute negotiations with WIPA ensured their inclusion.

A similar situation developed leading up the the present tour of Sri Lanka but this time, after the leading players refused to sign match/tour contracts in a dispute over sponsorship money following which an understrength team was chosen to undertake the tour.

Concerns were raised about the contract which led the WICB to seek an independent investigation into all the details leading up to the signing of the US$18 million Digicel contract.Justice Lucky has been travelling around the Caribbean meeting with other leading figures involved in the contract signing and ensuing controversial developents with a view to ascertaining if all matters were handled equitably and fairly.