The Cricket SA board has always acted in the best interests of cricket and has never taken sides in the bonus saga, CSA acting president AK Khan said on Tuesday.
“The board has always backed cricket and not any individual,” said Khan, speaking from Durban.
“I have studied that part of the report very carefully and I think it is a bit unfair and untrue to say that there was a cover-up. Which board would engage themselves in a cover-up, especially when there is a public inquiry?
“We have co-operated fully with the inquiry from the start.”
Khan was responding to the report presented to CSA last Thursday by the inquiry into bonuses. It was appointed by Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula in November 2011 and headed by retired judge Chris Nicholson.
The report not only found there was a prima facie case that CEO Gerald Majola had contravened sections 234, 235 and 236 of the Companies Act, but also that the board had deliberately protected Majola from the consequences.
Khan said CSA's management committee would be briefed by lawyers on Wednesday evening, and it would be premature to comment further on how they would proceed.
“We will wait to be guided by senior counsel and see which way they want us to go,” Khan said.
“The report belongs to the board, so the correct approach is for us to wait to be guided by counsel's advice.”
The Nicholson committee also recommended CSA should elect a smaller board, with a majority of independent, professionally skilled, non-executive directors.
Khan confirmed all 11 members of the board had received and read the recommendations. They would meet in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Majola would not comment on Tuesday on whether he had requested a private meeting with Mbalula and said he would issue a public statement within 24 hours.
“I can't speak now if you're going to ask me about the Nicholson inquiry, but I will be releasing a statement tomorrow,” Majola said.
“So just wait for the media release to come out.” — Sapa