GRACE Kennedy Group’s chief operating officer Don Wehby has called on the Paul Campbell-led Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) to produce audited accounts and make them available for public scrutiny.

Wehby was the guest speaker at last Thursday’s JCA Awards Dinner at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, where he recommended that the cash-strapped body adopt a more open approach to minimise negative speculation.

“I would like to see the Jamaica Cricket Association producing audited accounts… like a public company and meeting stakeholders for questions and answers. That way you don’t have to worry about any speculation,” he said.

His advice came on the back of a furore created last November when a leaked internal email, reportedly calling for a management and forensic audit of the JCA’s accounts over recent years, was brought to public attention.

The document highlighted the dire straits of the JCA’s finances and suggested funds were being depleted at an accelerated rate, adding that measures be put in place to prevent any further occurrence.

The JCA and its members have since been cleared of any wrongdoing, but many believe that doubts about their handling of its finances have severely hampered its ability to attract sponsorship for domestic club competitions.

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) now set for February 9, and which will coincide with the JCA elections, also had to be pushed back from last November partly due to an incomplete audited financial report.

Wehby said transparency is important in the local cricket body’s quest to maintain credibility.

“It’s a challenge in an organisation that is not profit-making. (But) I think more transparency from the Association will (help to) better professionalism and show you are taking your accounts seriously,” he added.

He also had advice for the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to get its act together if the region is to see a positive change in fortune.

Wehby said the WICB, which has had numerous disputes with the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA), has for too long been sidestepping the much-heralded PJ Patterson Report.

“A strong attempt towards overhauling the cricket structure of the sport in West Indies was made… with the establishment of the Patterson Governance Committee which was mandated to make recommendations to include overall operations, governance and effectiveness, and also to spread the sport’s credibility.

“Though the issue has been raised on numerous occasions, including by the Patterson (Report), which was submitted in 2007, governance and dispute resolution remain contentious issues for West Indies cricket,” he said.

The report is a comprehensive document that looked into the restructuring of the regional body governing cricket in the Caribbean, and was commissioned by the WICB, under former president Ken Gordon.