WICB To Pay Out $1 Million To Ramnaresh Sarwan

Category: Connect Created on Thursday, 26 July 2012 06:49

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) will have to pay $1 million to Ramnaresh Sarwan for “publicly denigrating and humiliating” the Guyanese and Leicestershire middle order batsman. The payment is part of a $1.5 million pay out in damages which the Board incurred recently.

Sarwan was awarded the damages after winning his arbitration matter against the WICB, a case in which he was cleared of all charges levelled against him by WICB’s CEO, Ernest Hilliare, regarding his fitness and attitude.

Arbitrator Seenath Jairam SC, LLM, found the WICB guilty of breaching the selection process and not operating in a fair and transparent manner. The judgment also noted that Sarwan was publicly denigrated and humiliated. It revealed that the Board failed to comply with the appraisal process, breaching the principles of natural justice therefore failing to give Sarwan an opportunity to be heard, causing him significant loss and damage. In addition to the damages, the WICB was ordered to pay 85 per cent of the cost of conducting the arbitration proceedings.

This works out to be additional estimated 500,000. In total, the case has cost the board an estimated $1.5 million. This comes on the heels of the $14 million awarded to the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) on behalf of its members over various breaches of contract. In the past 12 months, the WICB has lost an estimated 15 million at a time when sponsorship for their major events has not been easy to attract. The ruling is based largely on the WICB’s failure to adhere to basic principles of natural justice and blatantly ignoring the terms of the agreements with the players and their association, WIPA.

Picture credit to The Bajan Reporter