Akbar Mulla resigned after being accused of misappropriation of GCA funds

Goa Cricket Association (GCA) treasurer, Akbar Mulla has resigned from his post on Thursday. He was one of the three accused in the case of alleged misappropriation of GCA funds amounting INR 3.13 crore.

The Economic Offences Cell of Goa Police had arrested GCA president Chetan Desai, Secretary Vinod Phadke and treasurer Mulla on June 15 based on a complaint that they had allegedly encashed a cheque given by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to GCA. They were later on released on bail.

Mulla said that he wants to quit as he feels that he should not be in a position of power while investigations are going on. “In view of the misappropriation charges levelled against me, proper investigations are needed and I feel that morally I should not be in a position of power while investigations are going on,” Mulla said in his letter to the GCA president.

To prove his innocence, he had presented photocopies of documents, including bank account details and personal ID proofs that were used while opening the account before the media. “I had submitted my passport to get a visa for an official tour to the UK and it was with the GCA. The account was opened during that time,” he said.

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According to the documents, the account was opened on April 12, 2007, with the visa getting issued later on April 27, 2007. He asserted that the bank did not verify his identity with the documents and alleged that the then DCB bank manager, Lalita Kakodkar, was also involved in the fraud.

“My name in the passport attached for the opening of the account shows my name as Mulam Agbor Ali whereas the account has been opened showing my name as Akbar A Mulla. The signature on the account opening form also does not tally with my signature which is clear on my passport,” Mulla stated in a letter he had written to the Police Inspector of the Economic Offences Cell dated June 11, 2016.

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He also claimed that the transactions occurred between May 24, 2007, to March 29, 2008, which were done in a random manner with names like Brijesh, Rajesh, etc, without any surname. “The whole scam is coming from the GCA office,” he concluded.