…Jones says no comment as GABF says $3.5M insufficient

DIRECTOR of Sport Christopher Jones says he will not, at this time, be commenting on a statement made by the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) that a $3.5M cheque issued earlier this month was not enough.

GABF president Nigel Hinds says the National Sports Commission (NSC) owes a total of $7.8M, and the “NSC must understand that the debt will be fully paid, and time is of essence”. Hinds in a statement said that on February 3 last the GABF received, from the NSC, a cheque for $3.5M, and there is a “stated intent not to repay the balance due of $4.5M”.
“The NSC have somehow made $3.5M equivalent $7.8M. The same logic that spurred them to pay $3.5M linked to GABF, part payment towards the new basketball goals, should apply with equal force to the capital type expenditures made by the GABF to prepare CASH for the Championships,” the statement said.
Jones confirmed that the NSC issued the cheque but said he could comment no further. Jones says he will not be responding to the issue until the GABF sends an official statement to the NSC regarding their concerns.
“I haven’t received any correspondence from the GABF, and as such I am not inclined to comment anything on it. If we receive a query or anything from them, then we would be able to comment. If there’s an issue they’re supposed to write us, but we haven’t seen any correspondence from them.” Jones said when contacted yesterday.

This ongoing imbroglio between NSC and GABF comes over funds allegedly owed to GABF and Hinds for renovation works done on the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) to upgrade it for the hosting of the Caribbean Basketball Confederation U-16 Championships which was held last year July. CASH is a state-owned facility.
The money spent was reportedly for the carpeting of VIP area and 3 rooms, wall partitions, door for VIP washroom, two urinals with fittings; construction works on first responders’ room, kitchen, walkway, and balcony rooms; and repairs to washroom as well as replacement of sinks at the National Gymnasium, among other capital expenditures.
Hinds said that the NSC verbally committed to repaying the funds and the non-repayment after six months is “insensible and indefensible”.
Hinds has been lobbying for the monies to be repaid since last year, and the NSC since then said that they would repay Hinds G$3,514,000 which represented money used to purchase basketball goals for the CBC event, but did not cover the other works. Hinds maintained that everything has to be paid for.
The issue eventually boiled over and saw Hinds, a then commissioner at the NSC, resign with immediate effect on August 12, 2016, after less than one year on the job.
Hinds made it clear that he was resigning over the issue of the unpaid funds.