Exclusive Report By Maryum Razzaq Uk Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir Accepts Money From Bookie Majeed.The three Pakistani cricketers at the centre of a betting scandal have been charged and suspended by the International Cricket Council.
Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and captain Salman Butt, could now face lengthy bans after the ICC, cricket's governing body, decided to act.
(ICC) under their anti-corruption laws.
Pakistani cricket trio quizzed on Secret Accounts
LONDON: Three Pakistan cricketers have been questioned by detectives over text messages, phone calls and secret bank accounts linked to alleged match-fixing.
Mohammad Amir, the teenage bowler seen as one of the game's most exciting talents, spent almost five hours on Friday being interviewed under caution.
He was asked about a message he allegedly sent to Mazhar Majeed – the agent arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers – last Friday, saying "Shall I do it or not?"
Hours later, it is claimed, he deliberately bowled a no-ball in the Fourth Test at Lord's. Captain Salman Butt and bowler Mohammad Asif were also questioned.
They were asked about secret accounts in Swiss and British banks, which, according to the News of the World investigation, Mr Majeed said he had set up in their names.
Sources said that the role of Butt, interviewed last by the Scotland Yard detectives, was under closest scrutiny.
It has been reported that £50,000 cash was found in his room by police but he said the money, some in foreign currency, was to pay a dowry for his sister. Police are investigating whether the notes were those handed over by an undercover reporter.
It is believed that Asif has also told investigators that it was Butt who first introduced the players to Mr Majeed, his agent, several years ago.
Sir Ronnie Flanagan, head of the International Cricket Council's anti-corruption unit, said that, having seen the evidence, all the players "have a really arguable case to answer in our disciplinary arena".
Further revelations this weekend are expected to focus on four more Pakistan cricketers, and claims that the team would deliberately lose two coming one-day matches.
The scandal is being investigated worldwide by five agencies, including federal authorities in Pakistan and Britain's Serious and Organised Crime Agency (Soca).
It emerged on Friday evening that Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs started looking into Mr Majeed's tax affairs months ago and tapped his phone. They were apparently suspicious of phone calls abroad talking about cricket matches, and tipped off officials.
The disclosure will lead to questions about how long police and cricket authorities knew about the allegations.
As part of the Metropolitan police inquiry into the Lord's incident, Amir was questioned at Kilburn police station in north London yesterday.
The 18 year-old was questioned in the presence of his solicitor over an alleged phone call from Mr Majeed the night before the Lord's match about bowling no-balls.
According to the News of the World, Mr Majeed also said that, before play on the second day, Amir texted him to say: 'Shall I do it or not?'
He then bowled a no-ball in the third ball of the third over, as ordered by Mr Majeed, according to the paper. Asif was questioned next, for two hours. Detectives deliberately left Butt to last. All three players protested their innocence. None was arrested and they were released without charge.
Mr Majeed, 35, was arrested and bailed earlier this week pending further inquiries by Scotland Yard. He is said to deny the allegations. Scotland Yard sources said they were still in the "early days" of a "long and complex" inquiry.
Wajid Shamsul Hasan, Pakistan's High Commissioner, has said the players will remain as long as is required "to clear their names".
All three Pakistan stars have been suspended until the enquiry reaches its conclusion.
The trio will also be interviewed tomorrow by officers from Scotland Yard who are investigating the betting scam.
ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said: "We will not tolerate corruption in cricket – simple as that."
The players have 14 days to appeal against the charges.
The suspensions come four days after we revealed that Amir and Asif delivered three no-balls to order after London-based fixer Mazhar Majeed let us in on a betting scam for £150,000.
Earlier today the three under-fire players met with Pakistan's high commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hasan.
The official claimed the players had suffered 'mental torture' in the wake of our story.
Is this the biggest scandal cricket has faced since the Hansie Cronje revelations?
In terms of corruption, yes. Corruption is a dangerous thing, any form of it.
What specifically led you to suspend the players?
As we said, we were busy working and formulating our understanding of all of the issues that had transpired, all the allegations that had been made, and connecting all the dots. We needed to be pretty certain that we could formulate a charge before we could provisionally suspend the players. We were putting all the facts together while we were assessing our position.
What did you try to impress upon the PCB?
Earlier in the week, [we urged them] to do the right thing, which was to not select the players because there were just too many allegations, too much speculation and the public would not have confidence in the players. They [the players] needed the opportunity to clear themselves, so we were throughout the course of the week trying to impress upon them to do the right thing and not involve them in the remainder of the tour, for their own sake. And then on Wednesday night, Mr [Ijaz] Butt was quoted as saying that they were available to play. We realised that if that was indeed the case, we needed to move quicker. We worked quite hard to complete what we needed to do. We were surprised the next morning when they announced the non-selection, but by then we had progressed to a point completing our work.
Ijaz Butt kept reiterating that the players would not be suspended pending inquiries. What caused the change of mind in the space of 12 hours?
Again, when we met with him, we impressed upon him the need to protect the players on one hand, and to protect the integrity of the game on the other hand. The right thing would be to not avail those players for selection.
What was the ECB's stance throughout all of this?
The ECB were of a similar mindset, that they should not be involved in the series. I'm sure their concerns would have revolved around the public support [for the limited-over series] which would have been their primary concern. I am not sure if their commercial partners were impressing anything upon them.
Were the ICC concerned that sponsors would have pulled out if you had allowed the players to continue being in the series?
I would always do what is the right thing. We would not take any actions if we did not have sufficient claims, we would have to manage commercial partners. On the other hand, the right thing to do is to charge the players because we have got sufficient evidence. So I would always try and do the right thing.
They are still allegations at present, but if proven guilty, what is the ICC thinking in way of possible sanctions?
I would not like to pre-determine their guilt nor pre-determine what sanctions are appropriate. We would not tolerate any kind of corruption in this sport.
Who will the independent panel comprise of?
My understanding is we have got a panel of commissioners and there would be a selection from there. The chairman of the Code of Conduct commissioners is Michael Beloff QC. The players have 14 days to consider the charges and respond. It is after that we would move into the remit of determining. The players might decide to confess – who knows what, there is a criminal investigation today. That may or may not have a bearing so it is premature to determine whether there is guilt or not, what sort of sanction is appropriate or not. It is too early.
You said you wanted to do the right thing. If the crime is severe would you not rule out a life ban?
I would not rule out any sort of punishment. It is dependent on what the findings are.
"If it is becoming apparent that agents are a challenge to deal with, we might have to find some accreditation system that we might need to put in place."
Haroon Lorgat
What are the long-term plans?
We must separate individual players, their misdemeanour or not. We must separate them from the Pakistan team and Pakistan board. If individuals have transgressed in any way, we deal with individuals. As far as Pakistan, and the system in Pakistan is concerned, nothing has changed in our view that they shouldn't continue to play international cricket.
Although the ACSU has done well to curb the malaise of match-fixing in the decade after Hansie Cronje confessed his crime, corruption is once again on the resurgence. Are you concerned?
Not long after I got into the ICC, we reminded all of the members, all of the players that we simply cannot get complacent. With the advent of Twenty20 we have raised that awareness. We don't feel what some people are suggesting because we know that we will have to remain vigilant. All those reports about players about approaches (from bookies) that is through the education process, through the awareness that we create. Those players were not disclosing those approaches. So in my view it was somewhat unfair criticism of the ACSU. In fact if you listen to some credible , independent people, they acknowledge what the ICC is doing in fighting corruption in cricket. Sports Illustrated said the other day that baseball should have something like the ACSU on board.
Given that the ACSU is largely deployed under the ICC banner, what about cricket like the IPL and the proliferation of T20 events? Paul Condon said Twenty20 is the biggest challenge to the integrity of the game, should the ICC re-think its decision to deploy the ACSU only when asked for?
Do you mean being involved or deploying the ACSU in IPL? I would say we have the responsibility to assist members in so far as ensuring that corruption is not ongoing in their leagues. Because if starts at the domestic level, it will permeate the entire game.
What is the ICC's view on the PCB? Given the track record in match-fixing allegations, surely, the ICC needs to be more stringent and possibly slap some punitive action against them?
You cannot work on the basis of allegations and perceptions. We got to be factual about it. Unless there is hard evidence we cannot proceed. Don't forget the governance structure we have got: Pakistan Cricket Board, like every other member board, is autonomous. They have got the responsibility to look after their affairs. Unless they request our assistance in a direct fashion to get involved we cannot go there and do what you are suggesting.
With the ICC's wide reach and expertise don't you think you can help the PCB bolster its structure to make players, particularly those from outside usually traditional backgrounds, aware of potential dangers in the game?
We will be very willing to assist any member. But as I said earlier we can offer but it must be accepted. We cannot demand.
Given the Majeed case, shouldn't there be a process through which legitimate player agents are authorised and bonafides established?
Yes. I understand in England for example the players' association accredits agents. We always would look to see where we can improve the protocols. And if it is becoming apparent that agents are a challenge to deal with, we might have to find some accreditation system that we might need to put in place.
Established figures within the game, including former England captain Nasser Hussain, have already insisted the matter should not be swept under the carpet.
As a result, the ICC's announcement is likely to be well received.
The PCB has made it clear that if the tainted players are found innocent, it may resort legal action against ICC.
The PCB's senior legal advisor Talib Rizvi said that if the players were eventually found innocent, then the PCB would consider taking legal action against the ICC and other bodies involved in making the allegations and conducting the inquiry against the players.
"I just want to be clear the PCB will consider legal action against the ICC and other bodies if our players are found innocent because we feel the ICC has bypassed some of its own procedures in suspending the players and overall in this case," Rizvi said.
He also emphasised that at the moment there was no criminal investigation going on against the three players.
"It is just a preliminary inquiry and nothing more. They are being questioned. No investigations have been held," he added.
Rizvi, who also represented the PCB in the appellate tribunal during the hearing of the appeals of players against their bans and fines this year, claimed that so far the ICC had not shown any evidence against the three players.
"Even at the press conference the ICC and ACSU were asked about the evidence or charges against our players but they gave no details. So we want to know the reasons for suspending the players."
Talib's son, Tafazzul Rizvi is also in London as the board's legal advisor and is closely involved in the ongoing inquiry by the Scotland Yard.
He accompanied the three players to the Kilburn police station where they were summoned for detailed questioning.
Sources close to the PCB said that until now even Tafazzul Rizvi had not been given any concrete evidence on basis of which the ICC decided to suspend Butt, Asif and Aamir.
Talib said it was too early to say when the inquiry would end or when Scotland Yard would give a detailed report.
"We just feel that the suspension of our players is a bit harsh in the circumstances," he added.
Pak HC in Britain shouldn't comment on 'spot-fixing': Latif
Pakistan's High Commissioner in Britain Wajib Shamsul Hasan should not comment on the 'spot-fixing' scandal involving three players of the country as his outbursts against the ICC could land the PCB in trouble, fears former Test captain Rashid Latif.
The former wicketkeeper-batsman also advised the PCB to not adopt a confrontational attitude towards the ICC over allegations of 'spot-fixing' against the suspended trio of Test captain Salman Butt and pacers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir.
"I don't think Wajid Shamsul Hasan should be making comments on purely cricket matters or even on legal matters involving the players and ICC. This is something only the PCB should be talking about," Latif said.
"He is a political man but in international cricket things work differently and the PCB should be the sole authority giving statements in this issue."
Latif felt the diplomat had misguided the Pakistani people and cricket fans with his comments that the scandal was a conspiracy to alienate the country.
The former captain, who played a key role in exposing the nexus between players and bookmakers in the 90s, said the PCB should have handled the issue differently.
"When it first broke out it was not such a serious issue and the matter could have been handled and resolved between the ICC and PCB without damaging the image of Pakistan cricket," Latif said.
"I blame the PCB for not reading the situation and not handling the issue particularly well. The board should have read the writing on the wall where the issue was now headed and how the media would react."
Latif also refused to condemn the players suspended on allegations of spot fixing.
"I don't want to be judgmental because until now there are only allegations against them and from experience I know that it is very difficult to prove instances of fixing anywhere in the world. It is a fact that players have links with bookmakers and fixers but throughout the world cricket," he said.
Latif said by suspending the players, the onus was now on the ICC to prove the allegations had any substance.
"It is rather sad that whenever we go to England such controversies crop up. I think the PCB needs to do a lot of rethinking on how it is handling different issues and specially team matters. I don't singularly blame Ijaz Butt for all problems as he has an entire set up working with him and they are equally responsible for any mess," Latif said.
Pak diplomats embarrassed by 'loose cannon' Hasan
The high commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hasan has been branded a "loose cannon" by the diplomats of his own country for his outbursts against the International Cricket Council in the 'spot-fixing' scandal.
Hasan has claimed that the suspended trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir, who allegedly took money from a bookie to bowl no balls during the Lord's Test against England, have been framed and the entire scandal is a conspiracy to alienate Pakistan cricket.
Hasan has also insinuated that the ICC's Indian President Sharad Pawar may have had a hand in getting the three players suspended.
But diplomats at the Pakistani legation in Belgravia are less then amused by his stunning remarks with one of them saying that he felt "depressed" by Hasan's statements to the media.
"I suppose it is quite funny for outsiders, but the rest of us find it embarrassing. Anyway, it'll backfire, I have my own contacts among journalists and I am told they (the News of the World) will produce more things on Sunday," a diplomat was quoted as saying by 'The Independent'.
The unnamed diplomat said Hasan's claims have not just caused embarrassment; they have created a sense of anger against Pakistan.
"We had a great chance here to show that we were taking this matter extremely seriously and would root out any corruption. Instead we took a position we couldn't sustain, ended giving contradictory statements, lost out anyway and made a lot of our friends in the cricketing world angry."
"We are trying to get him off the TV screens, but there's no stopping him."
Officials close to Hasan said the criticism has come from "his detractors connected to the Pakistani secret service, the ISI, and the military."
But a diplomat rejected this saying, "What on earth has all this to do with cricket? The only military thing here is that we have a loose cannon in our hands.
Pakistan continued their tour schedule, without Butt, Asif and Amir, with a warm-up game against Somerset today.
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