Cricket Canada chief denies fraud claims

Ranjit Saini, the newly-elected president of Canada Cricket, has found himself in the midst of scandal with police investigating allegations that more than $100,000 is missing from the Maple Leaf Cricket club in Toronto, where Saini was president between 2007 and 2009.

Pandit Maharaj, the current president of the club, filed a complaint with police on March 19, claiming the funds were absent from the balance sheet along with around 150 cheque stubs.

Saini, however, insists he is in no way responsible for any financial losses, arguing instead the allegations were an attempt to undermine his campaign to become president of the national board, which was decided at Cricket Canada's AGM on March 21.

"The issue is not what happened in 2008", he told reporters. "It's what happened in 2009. For them to say now that there's no money, they should have managed their cash flow. They need to account for what they did with that money. It was a political action so that I don't get elected as Cricket Canada president. It was interference [and] it didn't work."

Maharaj retorted by saying the timing of the investigation was merely a coincidence. "This had nothing to do with the election. Since last August, I went to trustees and asked to do a forensic audit."

In a statement on the Cricket Canada website Saini said: "While I refute these allegations and intend to fight them to the fullest extent, the focus of the entire organisation remains the moving forward of Cricket Canada."

The Maple Leaf club is one of the country's leading cricket facilities and hosted two first-class matches in the 2006 ICC Intercontinental Cup as well as games in the ICC Americas Championship tournaments in 2000 and 2006 but is now facing financial troubles ahead of the coming season.