LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board on Friday rejected the legal notice sent by its former chairman Najam Sethi in which he accused accusing the board’s current management of publishing incorrect details of his expenses to hurt his reputation at the behest of PM Imran Khan.
On October 29, Sethi had set a legal notice to PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani, accusing the board’s current management of publishing incorrect details of his expenses to hurt his reputation.
In its reply, the board categorically denied each and every allegation contained in Sethi’s legal notice, stating that it was without any factual or legal basis and appeared to have been issued to supplement the former chairman’s purported intent to use it for a media campaign against the cricket board and chairman Ehsan Mani.
PCB’s response to Sethi’s legal notice states: “Our client [PCB] has merely disclosed as part of its transparency and accountability policy relevant information relating to its management. The amounts disclosed in the Chart pertaining to your client [Najam Sethi] are solely based on financial records of the Pakistan Cricket Board as were overseen by your client in his capacity as Chairman up until 20 August 2018.”
The PCB’s response added that legal remedies can be sought at the appropriate time, specifically if Sethi’s legal notice is not withdrawn.
PCB REPORT:
The PCB had issued complete details of chairman’s expenses and benefits from 2014 till September 30, 2018 as part of its transparency policy.
According to the PCB’s report, Sethi spent over Rs 70 million during his tenure as PCB chief and also as chairman of the executive committee.
The former PCB chairman received Rs 10.5 million under Pakistan Super League (PSL) allowance, while Rs8.3 million were received under expenses for car, fuel, personal security and driver, the report says, adding that he also pocketed Rs20.36 million under foreign tours, while received Rs900,000 for fuel of his car.
In August, PCB chairman Najam Sethi resigned from office and was promptly replaced with former International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Ehsan Mani by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Sethi, who has had longstanding differences with Imran Khan, said he had been waiting for the new prime minister to take oath before submitting his resignation.
In response, Sethi had claimed that the purpose for the PCB to release such figures was “to malign” him “presumably at the behest of Imran Khan”.