West Indies board appoints review committee

The West Indies Cricket board has appointed a Sponsorship Negotiations Review Committee to clear doubts looming over the sponsorship contract with Digicel. The committee is expected to review all aspects of the negotiations which the board undertook with telecom companies - Cable & Wireless and Digicel. The committee comprises members of the code of conduct and disciplinary and the finance and audit committees and is independent of the board.

The release stated: "The Committee has been established to determine whether the WICB and all its organs acted appropriately in these matters and in particular to determine a number of allegations that have been persistently made." The committee will also review "whether or not the new sponsorship arrangement was in the best interests of the WICB and continued cricket development in the West Indies."

The committee is set to examine allegations "whether or not the WICB treated Cable Wireless fairly in the negotiations, and if an improper relationship existed between WICB and Digicel". Furthermore, the committee is expected to review whether "payments were improperly accepted by members of the WICB as an inducement - these members to include Board members, members of the marketing committee and executive staff."

Justice Anthony Lucky is the chairman of the committee, while Avondale Thomas and Gregory Georges are the other members.