Majola to hand back money received from Lalit Modi

Cricket South Africa chief executive Gerald Majola will pay back more than R1 million believed to have been paid to him as a bonus from funds provided by then IPL supremo Lalit Modi for agreeing to host the second edition of the event in South Africa last year.

Majola offered to pay back the money in an urgent telephonic conference with the executive committee of CSA last night as the body prepared to release its financial statements next week, the Afrikaans daily Beeld reported on Thursday, adding that the payment would be indicated as "a miscellaneous loan that has been repaid".

The move came after an extensive investigation into irregularities in the payment of bonuses by the cash-flushed IPL.

After external auditors Deloitte reported irregularities at CSA, the body has initiated an internal investigation to establish how R4.7 million was earlier divided between Majola, Don McIntosh, chief organiser of the tournament and former head of finance at CSA, and Kass Naidoo, CSA's commercial director.

McIntosh recently resigned from his position. The Beeld report said the payments were believed to have been made by Modi, who is currently under pressure as investigations continue in India into his handling of the IPL, which was hurriedly moved to South Africa after security concerns in India because of elections being held at the same time.

CSA benefited by about R10 million from the IPL II played out in South Africa.

Beeld said it had it on good authority that the bonuses were not authorised or declared, and that neither the executive committee or CSA's financial and remuneration committees had any knowledge of it, although Majola denied this. Majola described the investigation as a witch-hunt:

"There is nothing sinister about the bonuses and I have already paid tax on it. There is just uncertainty over money which was not paid by CSA."

"If Graeme Smith (the Proteas captain) gets his salary cheque from the IPL, he does not need to explain it to CSA. Why should I?" Majola told the daily.