Suspended Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief executive Gerald Majola is desperately trying to delay his disciplinary hearing, according to a highly-placed insider at the authority.
Published: May 22, 2012, 01:38 PM (IST)
Edited: May 22, 2012, 01:38 PM (IST)
The Nicholson inquiry recommended the CSA disciplinary hearing as well as possible criminal investigation against Gerald Majola © Getty Images
Johannesburg: 23 May, 2012
Suspended Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief executive Gerald Majola is desperately trying to delay his disciplinary hearing, according to a highly-placed insider at the authority.
Majola’s legal team has objected to CSA’s appointment of retired high court judge John Myburgh to chair the inquiry that stems out of the Nicholson inquiry, which had earlier found Majola to be in breach of his fiduciary duties.
The inquiry was set up by Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula after nearly two years of wrangling within CSA over IPL 2 bonuses, which Majola paid himself and about 40 other CSA staff without informing the Board.
IPL 2 was hurriedly arranged in South Africa due to security concerns around elections at that time in India.
The Nicholson inquiry recommended the CSA disciplinary hearing as well as possible criminal investigation against Majola, with Mbalula demanding strong action by CSA as sponsors shied away from the authority.
The elite Hawks investigation unit for specialised crimes is investigating charges of Majola having breached his fiduciary duties.
CSA’s media manager Michael Owen-Smith confirmed that it was highly unlikely that CSA’s self-imposed target of finalising the disciplinary hearing by the end of this month would be met after the latest objection.
“It will take somewhat longer than originally planned,” Owen-Smith told the Afrikaans daily Beeld.
Majola’s team challenged Myburgh’s appointment on the grounds that he had previously been employed by the same company as one of the directors of CSA.
But highly-placed sources within CSA told the daily that this was just “a desperate delaying tactic” by Majola.
CSA’s legal team led by Andrew Redding told the newspaper they were confident of the charges against Majola being proven at the hearing.
Nicholson had also recommended that Majola pay back the R1.8 million that he had paid himself. (PTI)
