The extent of Stanford's fakery
Peter Hoskin 4:56pm
In case the English Cricket Board isn't embarrassed enough, today's Times has a fresh set of revelations about Allen Stanford and his tawdry cricket spectacular:
The stories about Stanford, Madoff et al are utterly compelling, not least because they encapsulate so much about the economic mirage of the past decade. You've got to wonder how much more fakery and deception will be be exposed by the downturn.It was an iconic and now infamous moment as Allen Stanford’s helicopter touched down on the perfectly trimmed grass of Lord’s, the home of English cricket. But the alarm bells should already have been ringing in the ground’s panelled corridors as the aircraft, with its gold flashes and the Stanford name emblazoned along its flanks, emerged from the clouds over London.Despite its impressive logos, there was no Stanford company helicopter. Nor was there a $20 million jackpot in the treasure chest that the beaming Texan showed off to the world —
the “prize money” that he had pledged for the first in a series of Twenty20 matches between his own West Indian Stanford Superstars and England.
The helicopter had been hired for the day and the Stanford logo added by the hire company.
There could have been as little as $100,000 in the box that had been driven into Lord’s in an armoured security van with a phalanx of burly guards.
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kinglear
February 21st, 2009 5:21pm Report this commentAs my friend Warren says, when the tide goes out you can see who has been swimming naked...
Frank P
February 21st, 2009 5:47pm Report this commentWell ... though Warren Buffet quipped, "You won't see who's naked 'til the tide goes out!" the fact that Stanford had a hard-on for cricket that was showing like a periscope above the water-line should have raised the alarm in any institution that felt tempted to suck it and see. 'Due Diligence' seems to be a phrase that has been forgotten in the past few years. Greed and gullibilty is what all conmen feed on. He has a great deal in common with Barrack Obama: all marf and no trarsis!
Max Kaye
February 21st, 2009 6:42pm Report this commentWhy would anyone expect people preoccupied with balls, bats and other assorted sticks of wood to have any common sense?
TGF UKIP
February 21st, 2009 8:25pm Report this commentThe absolutely unforgiveable aspect for the ECB is that Private Eye had run a full page highly detailed expose of Stanford many months ago and well before the million dollar game detailing all the dubious regulation dodging in the Caribbean and the very strong suspicions harboured by the US and other authorities of money laundering of drug money on a grand scale which is why it's not just the SEC and FBI but also the Drug Enforcement Agency which are digging away.
Clarke and co have been irresponsible, naive, negligent and incompetent on a truly enormous scale which is no doubt why, being English cricket, they will see no reason to resign and nor will they be asked to by their fellow gang of wankers, the county chairmen.
Tiberius
February 21st, 2009 9:09pm Report this commentI'll ask the leader of our local coven if you like, Max ;)
strapworld
February 21st, 2009 9:46pm Report this commentThe whole ECB and ICC should hand in their resignations. They habe brought a great sport into disrepute.
Fritz
February 22nd, 2009 10:19am Report this commentTo blame the enemy for being the enemy is lame. Old soldiers everywhere. What do you expect? You are in war!
Fritz
February 22nd, 2009 10:20am Report this commentInternet, sorry..
nick
February 22nd, 2009 11:01am Report this commentsplendid to hear this morning, that the powers that be think they have more to offer cricket and therefore will not be resigning.
David Bouvier
February 23rd, 2009 12:25am Report this commentWould anyone in their right mind deliver £20m cash by helicopter? No. You mean you actually believed it was really a big box of cash.
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