The Trinidad and Tobago Court of Appeal has deferred its judgment regarding a complex legal battle over cricket governance following January 20 proceedings that addressed both an appeal and cross-appeal. This judicial review stems from a January 2020 High Court decision involving former West Indies cricketer Dinanath Ramnarine and the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB).
Justice Frank Seepersad’s original ruling had largely dismissed Ramnarine’s broader legal challenge while mandating the establishment of an independent investigative committee to examine financial concerns identified in a National Gas Company (NGC) audit covering 2014-2016 sponsorship funds. The TTCB contested this investigative order, while Ramnarine cross-appealed regarding constitutional interpretation of voting eligibility provisions.
During appellate arguments, TTCB’s lead counsel Fyard Hosein, SC, contended that Justice Seepersad exceeded jurisdictional boundaries by ordering investigation of an internal NGC document never formally provided to the cricket board. Hosein emphasized practical futility since NGC had refused to release the report and raised concerns about potential bias if Ramnarine participated directly in any investigative committee.
Conversely, Ramnarine’s attorney Kiel Taklalsingh argued for strict constitutional compliance, maintaining that affiliate organizations failing to submit required financial statements and minutes should be disenfranchised from voting processes. Taklalsingh characterized cricket as a sport of national importance requiring rigorous governance standards and defended the investigative order as within the court’s supervisory jurisdiction.
The three-judge panel comprising Chief Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh and Justices Mira Dean-Armorer and Ricky Rahim reserved judgment after considering arguments from both legal teams. The outcome promises significant implications for sports governance standards and constitutional interpretation within Trinidad and Tobago’s sporting institutions.