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Basketball fraternity to eject Panday
– following allegations of fraud
By Edison Jefford
The basketball fraternity in Georgetown is expected to distance itself from founder of VP Sports Update, Vijay Panday over allegations of financial fraud that a popular accounting firm reported to the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA).
Vijay Panday
Kaieteur Sport understands from sources extremely close to the situation that the accounting firm that a former national basketball player, now re-migrant owns, is accusing Panday of stealing the company’s Scotia Bank cheque book and forging cheques.
“The Executive of GABA and Colts Basketball (Club) would wish to highlight our disgust with this recent incident, one of which is on the heels of another fiasco in Berbice that suggested we isolate Panday from GT (Georgetown) and Club activities due to security concerns,” a statement from GABA President, Michael Singh, read yesterday.
“(What is) worst is the sense that he deceived a proud friend, partner, sponsor and ex-player of the game; one who stood up for him during the Berbice issue,” the brief statement continued on Panday, adding that he will no longer be in receipt of the necessary sanction to host and promote basketball activities in Georgetown.
The statement said that the matter is before the GABA Disciplinary Committee, but assured that Panday will be banished for a number of years for consistent improprieties. The association had taken a similar stance, suspending Panday from Club activities, following the Berbice imbroglio.
Panday was Head Coach of the Colts Basketball Club, whose President, Singh, is also President of the GABA. Singh has been in contact with the proprietor of the accounting firm and has given all assurance that the Georgetown sub-association will be taking a “firm stance” on the matter to prevent any recurrence.
However, the accounting firm, in an email, said that Panday may still be in possession of leaves of cheques for other accounts and therefore wishes to alert the public. The firm bemoaned that an unfortunate incident like this would have ever occurred given its previous unwavering support to Panday and his programmes.
“I have not taken the matter to the Police since funds from the cheque that cleared was recovered along with all the fees for NSF (Non-Sufficient Funds); most of the cheques were rejected for the NSF, since discovering the theft, I placed a stop order on all cheques for that (Scotia Bank) account,” the accounting firm informed.
Panday had been fingered in a massive scheme to defraud both patrons and artistes during a stage show: The ‘Destra Berbice Inferno’, which was to feature performances from Destra, Jamaican reggae and dancehall artiste, ‘Cecile’, chutney singer, Rick Ramoutar, US-based chutney singer, Jun Jeezy and Guyana’s Marlon ‘Malo’ Webster at the New Amsterdam Technical Institute Ground during Republic Day celebrations.
Several of the artistes and other stakeholders were either unpaid or half paid, which forced them to forfeit the show, leaving paid patrons without the various performances. This apparently had infuriated patrons, who stormed the stage and threw bottles.
Panday was named as Events Coordinator for ‘Slaughter House Promotions’, and has since blamed partner, Kieth Mordell for the incident, stating that monies he received from Mordell from the United States were insufficient to cover all expenses.
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