Cricket Canada CEO says charges of theft and fraud are ’completely false’

Cricket Canada CEO Salman Khan and another man have been charged with theft and fraud over $5,000 arising from their time with the Calgary and District Cricket League.

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Calgary Police Service said in a release Wednesday it believes 46-year-old Salman Khan Shahzad (also known as Salman Khan), former president of the Calgary league, and 45-year-old Syed Wajahat Ali, the former treasurer, “are responsible for misappropriating money belonging to the Calgary and District Cricket League (C&DCL).”

Police said the newly appointed president of the Calgary league conducted an internal audit in 2017 after noticing “several concerns” about the league’s financial records. The league then contacted police.

“The Calgary Police Service launched an investigation and discovered between January 2014 and December 2016, the former treasurer and former president of the C&DCL are believed to have misappropriated approximately $200,000 from the league,” said the police statement.

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“The funds were misappropriated through cheque payments to construction businesses and contractors which the former treasurer and former president, or their immediate family members, had connections to.”

Police said payments were allegedly made to the businesses for repairs and upgrades to the league clubhouse and grounds. But the work was either never completed, or poorly done, using inferior products. Costs were also “highly inflated.”

The two men, both from Milton, are due to appear in court Thursday.

Khan, in a social media post via the Alberta Cricket Association, called the allegations “completely false.”

“Here’s the truth. A police complaint was filed against me more than seven years ago,” he wrote. “A police investigator approached me and said he wanted to hear my side of the story and see the evidence I have to defend myself. He told me that if I didn’t provide my side, he would proceed with charges. I told him I would visit after Ramadan, but he didn’t want to wait and decided to post charges without even hearing my side or my evidence.

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“Let me make this clear: They have nothing to prove against me … I am not worried at all. I’m ready to fight just like I’ve been doing for the past eight years.”

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Khan and Ali have each been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000 and theft over $5,000. The charges have not been proven in court.

Police said its investigation was “multi-jurisdictional … involving individuals who were out-of-province and required several production orders and warrants that were executed in relation to the investigation.”

The Calgary league says it has since “strengthened financial oversight, enhanced internal controls, and introduced measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.”

Cricket Canada GM Ingleton Liburd referred a media query about the charges to Cricket Canada president Amjad Bajwa, who did not immediately respond to a Canadian Press request for comment.

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Khan became president of the Alberta Cricket Association in 2022. He was appointed CEO of Cricket Canada in early January.

At the time, Cricket Canada said Khan “will be responsible for overseeing the strategic direction of Cricket Canada, driving the growth of cricket in Canada, and enhancing the development of both the grassroots and elite levels of the sport.”

“His diverse expertise, strategic vision, and passion for the sport of cricket will be invaluable as we continue to grow the game and elevate the profile of Canadian cricket on the global stage,” Cricket Canada added.

The charges are just the latest black eye for the governing body.

Two former players, Srimantha Wijeyeratne and Ammar Khalid, launched a complaint after being left off Canada’s T20 World Cup team last year. The Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada ruled that Cricket Canada’s team selection was not made in accordance with its own selection policy and ordered that it be redone according to the rules.

Both players were left off the roster again.

Former Canada coach Pubudu Dassanayake, who testified that he was “surprised with the team selected and disappointed as well,” has launched a wrongful dismissal case against Cricket Canada. It is slated to go before a mediator.

Dassanayake left the team after last summer’s T20 World Cup. At the time, Cricket Canada said his contract was not renewed when it expired at the end of July.

The Sri Lankan-born Dassanayake, who played for both Sri Lanka and Canada, was in his second stint at Canada’s helm. He has also coached Nepal (twice) and the U.S.

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