Unaudited IPL funds to be investigated by Cricket South Africa

Johannesburg: Cricket South Africa will investigate claims that 200 million rands paid to it by the Indian Premier League in 2009 were not audited.

The funds from the IPL are at the centre of a controversy that has seen CSA chief executive Gerald Majola suspended pending disciplinary action and investigation of possible criminal charges by the National Prosecuting Authority after almost two years of wrangling within the body over the issue. IPL II was played in South Africa due to security concerns around elections at the time in India. Majola, who negotiated the deal with the then IPL supremo Lalit Modi, paid himself and other senior CSA staff huge bonuses from the IPL funds without informing the board. Acting CSA president Willie Basson told City Press that the board had noted the comments by former CSA president Mtutuzeli Nyoka that the account into which IPL funds were paid were not audited. "All those things came up and we are investigating the matter. It is in the system and it will be dealt with. An accusation and insinuation has been made. It is our duty to look into it as we must protect our reputation," said Basson, who will act until CSA elections for a new board in September. Majola denied Nyoka`s allegations, claiming that the accounts had been audited and were available at the CSA offices. Nyoka was twice ousted in absentia after he called for an independent inquiry into the IPL bonus issue, while an internal inquiry by CSA which was discredited by the Nicholson inquiry largely cleared Majola. In a subsequent independent inquiry by auditing firm KPMG, like the Nicholson inquiry into the financial affairs of CSA instituted by Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula, Majola was found to have breached his fiduciary duties in terms of the Companies Act. Basson said the issue of an apology to Nyoka, who had been vindicated by the Nicholson findings, would also be on the agenda of the next board meeting. "If people have been wronged, then an apology should be issued," Basson said. On Friday, provincial franchise KwaZulu-Natal issued a public apology to Nyoka after a meeting. "Having noted the contents of the (Nicholson) report, the Council hereby would like to place on record its sincere apology to former CSA President, Dr. Mtutuzeli Nyoka, for not providing the necessary support when this issue was initially raised," the statement from the Kwazulu-Natal Cricket Union read. PTI