Copyright trinidadexpress
The Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) secured a legal victory in its effort to recover funds allegedly misappropriated from the organisation, after the High Court entered a judgment in default against former account executive Alicia David-Simon. According to a judgment dated September 25, 2025, David-Simon was ordered to pay the TTCB $560,234.31 for debt, interest, and costs, with an additional 5% annual interest to accrue from the date of judgment until full payment is made. The ruling followed the defendant’s failure to file an appearance or respond to the TTCB’s claim form and Statement of Case, which were served on August 5, 2025. The court noted that the time for doing so had expired, resulting in judgment being entered by default. The court also warned that failure to comply with the order could result in enforcement proceedings, including the seizure and sale of goods or other legal measures, potentially attracting additional costs. The judgment comes amid an ongoing police investigation into allegations of financial misconduct at the TTCB involving the misappropriation of more than $548,000 over a four-year period. On May 8, 2025, officers from the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) executed a search warrant at the TTCB’s head office in Balmain, Couva, seizing a substantial quantity of financial records believed to be of evidential value. The police probe began after the TTCB’s then treasurer Kiswah Chaitoo reported to authorities in late 2023 that a significant sum of money had been misappropriated by a former employee, who later resigned. The treasurer was subsequently removed from his position in January 2024 following a vote of no confidence, after he breached confidentiality by approaching the police before internal investigations were completed and by sharing details of the matter publicly. In June 2025, TTCB attorneys Henry Chase and Navinda Ramnanan announced at a news conference that the board had initiated civil proceedings to recover the missing funds, confirming that the matter involved former account executive Alicia David-Simon. The TTCB stated at the time that while the police investigation was ongoing, the Board’s immediate priority was to recover the embezzled funds rather than pursue criminal penalties at that stage. TTCB president Azim Bassarath, who was returned unopposed to the post at yesterday’s TTCB Executive Elections, had confirmed the Police search earlier this year and said the organisation was cooperating fully with investigators. He said then that the TTCB viewed civil recovery as the main objective and that they would continue to cooperate with the police investigation. The TTCB noted that the initiation of legal proceedings against the former employee was aligned with the Board’s priority of recovering the embezzled money rather than focusing on criminal punishment at this time and the High Court’s ruling marks a significant step toward recovering those funds. Asked for his reaction to the judgment yesterday, Bassarath said he preferred not to comment at this time. The TTCB held its executive elections and Annual General Meeting at the NCC in Couva yesterday.
