Gerald Majola has been fired as CEO of Cricket SA (CSA) following an internal disciplinary hearing.
"The disciplinary chairman issued his findings on sanction which CSA will implement with immediate effect,” CSA said in a statement on Friday (19/10/2012).
"The sanction handed down by Advocate [Karel] Tip SC was that Mr Majola is dismissed from his service with CSA with immediate effect.”
Nicholas Preston, CSA’s lawyer, had said on Thursday that Majola was found guilty on all charges, but primarily of the non-disclosure and receipt of bonuses from the 2009 Indian Premier League tournament and ICC Champions’ league, and the misuse of his travel allowance.
He was invited to attend both the findings and the sanction, but chose not to do so.
Majola withdrew from the hearing last week, questioning the legitimacy of the process and arguing that the CSA board had already cleared him of any wrongdoing in respect of the charges levelled against him.
"While acting as CEO for CSA and in the context of a contract that he had concluded on behalf of CSA, Mr Majola negotiated large bonuses for himself and (former CSA COO) Don McIntosh, as well as lesser bonuses for the CSA staff,” Tip stated in his findings.
"In so doing, he wittingly placed himself in a situation that constituted a manifest conflict of interest.” Tip said Majola had failed ”in any meaningful way” to disclose the bonus that he received, which amounted to R1.7 million.
"Mr Majola failed to disclose the bonus when he had a clear and ongoing duty to do so,” Tip stated.
"Even worse, Mr Majola expressly lied about it, vowing more than once that he ’had not received a cent’.
"In so doing he inter alia directly misled the Minister (Fikile Mbalula) and Deputy Minister (Gert Oosthuizen) and, in turn, allowed Parliament to be similarly misled.” Tip said Majola had played an active part in bringing disruption and division within cricket, and had brought CSA and the sport of cricket into disrepute.
Majola’s lawyer, Pumezo David, said on Thursday he had set aside the disciplinary hearing and had formally opposed it through the Labour Court.
David confirmed that all the respondents in their Labour Court application, which included the CSA and President Jacob Zuma, had been furnished with papers and had until October 29 to respond.
Preston said he could not comment on Majola’s Labour Court application yet, but was certain CSA would oppose it. - Sapa
Sport
| Sport
