Lucky Committee hits back

In a release yesterday the SNRC said it "takes serious exception to the responses from both Mr Teddy Griffith, former President of the WICB and also from the current members of the WICB, to our report handed over to Mr Ken Gordon, President of the WICB, on August 15, 2005."

"The committee is firmly of the view that the Board has acted as judge and jury in its own cause, having appointed and confirmed that the committee is an independent committee." Last week, the WICB dismissed the SNRC’s verdict that their contract with new sponsors Digicel was legally flawed.

The Board also said that after reviewing the report, they had concluded that no attempt had been made to discuss with their lawyers any of the matters relating to the contracts or the negotiation of the contracts. Griffith, who did not seek re-election at the recent WICB’s annual general meeting, also took issue with the Commission’s findings, pointing out that the SNRC’s "judgment on this matter seems quite unreasonable."

These claims were however dismissed by the SNRC. "The Committee’s findings are based on concrete evidence which can and will be made available if necessary to defend its integrity," the release stated.

"We strongly stand by the findings in our report and will provide a more detailed response addressing the specific issues raised by the WICB and Mr Griffith in due course."

The SNRC, headed by Justice Anthony Lucky and comprising Gregory Georges and Avondale Thomas, was appointed by the WICB to review the negotiations which led to the sealing of the Digicel sponsorship and rejection of the Cable and Wireless deal.