BCCI preparing to file charges against Modi in a Chennai court
Board of Control of Cricket in India’s (BCCI) decision to file charges against Suspended chairman of IPL Lalit Modi has further intensified the stand-off between Modi and the BCCI. The action of BCCI would reduce the heat on board’s secretary N Srinivasan, who has recently been alleged of intervening in the auction for second edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) in January 2009, which Srinivasan has denied.
BCCI’s move to file charges against Modi in a Chennai court has been confirmed by a board official. The move is an extension of the decisions taken at the special general meeting of BCCI earlier in June where the members of the board agreed to set up a disciplinary committee and start action against the suspended chairman of IPL (Indian Premier League). The BCCI official revealed that delay in taking decision to file charges against Modi in the Chennai court took place because the secretary N Srinivasan had to prepare the papers and the whinge was to be scrutinized by the legal experts of the board.
"It has taken us this long because the secretary had to prepare the papers and the complaint was to be vetted by our legal experts," revealed the official.
Various agencies investigating the financial irregularities in the business deals of IPL pressurised the board to take action against Lalit Modi. Franchise ownership patterns and the controversial facilitation fee deal between the Sony Group firm, MSM PTE LTD and the sports marketing agency WSG (World Sports Group Mauritius) were the major issues behind all this IPL mess. Sources have revealed that the investigating agencies have warned the board that if they did not file a complaint against Modi, there would be no impact of their investigation.
The insiders on the other hand think the move is also an attempt of BCCI to isolate Modi from his ranks as the IPL chairman, a designation that he still holds with a 5-year term and is supposed to complete his tenure even though in a suspended state. The issue would be discussed today in the working committee meeting of BCCI in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820. This is going to be last working committee meeting of the board before next months’ Annual General Meeting.
Charges against the BCCI secretary, which gained the headlines of Indian media over the past few days, move round Chennai Super Kings’ plan to secure Andrew Flintoff’s services at the 2009 IPL auction. Chennai Super Kings is owned by the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-Cements-c795 and N Srinivasan is the head of company.
A string of e-mails between Srinivasan and Lalit Modi – written around the time of IPL’s 2009 auction – hints that the two, Modi and Srinivasan, communicated over the availability of Andrew Flintoff; who was finally signed by Chennai Super Kings with a bid higher than the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Rajasthan-c837 Royals.
An e-mail from Modi to Srinivasan reads; "What a nightmare to convince them not to terminate [Sohail] Tanveer and also not to take Flintoff." In response to that mail, Srinivasan thanked Modi and wrote, "[Shane] Warne [the Rajasthan captain] went off the handle. But has managed the control by using stick and carrot strategy."
Modi cleared his part by saying that the IPL operating was pressurised by the Chennai Super Kings to get the Flintoff auction to work in favour of Chennai. Srinivasan on the other hand has denied the charges of conspiracy. The secretary, who is a golfer, said that he himself is a sportsman and believes in fair play. He said that he had never asked anyone to favour him to acquire Flintoff; he had got money and could have gone for a bid up to two million US dollars.
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