GCA allege forgery over Rs 2.87cr fraud

Panaji: The Goa Cricket Association (GCA) has filed a complaint at the Porvorim police station alleging that signatures of their top three officials were forged and a fake bank account was created in 2007 to siphon off funds.

GCA president Chetan Desai, secretary Vinod Phadke and treasurer Akbar Mulla filed a complaint on Sunday and said they were in the process of obtaining the relevant documents from Development Credit Bank, Panaji, including the opening form, statement of account and photocopies of cheques allegedly issued in the name of GCA for withdrawing money to the tune of 2.87 crore.

The complaint follows submission by GCA life-member and former Ranji Trophy cricketer Hemant Angle in the Supreme Court that a bank account was opened by Phadke, Desai and Akbar showing Phadke as president, Desai as secretary and Akbar as treasurer when the actual office bearers at that time were Dayanand Narvekar (president), Chetan Desai (secretary) and Vinod Phadke (treasurer).

As per the GCA Constitution, the bank accounts of the GCA can be operated jointly by any of the two from president, secretary and treasurer. Akbar Mulla's signature, according to the submission in the Supreme Court "does not match of the GCA in an unauthorized manner" (sic).

According to Angle's submission in the Supreme Court, a Bcheque bearing No. 1859 and drawn on ICICI Bank for 2.87 crore was provided to the GCA as television subsidy. The cheque was deposited in the allegedly fraudulent account on April 13, 2007.

"It is submitted that a huge sum of money to the tune of Rs. 70 lakh has been withdrawn as cash by self-cheques in individual names.

"It is further submitted that one of the persons who received money to the tune of Rs. 10,25,000 is Suryakant Naik, an executive member of the Goa Cricket Association, who also is a central government employee. It is also submitted that there are several others who have also received large sums of money and not a single cheque has been issued nor has a payment been made to the regular vendors," Angle said in his submission before the Supreme Court, battling to infuse reforms in the Board of Control for Cricket in India for the last two years.

GCA president Chetan Desai said their signatures were forged to open the account. Asked how someone could have got hold of the BCCI cheque, unless he was an insider, Desai said it was up to the police to investigate.

Porvorim police station PI Jivba Dalvi said they are examining the complaint.

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