Cricketers plead guilty for role in Bangladesh match-fixing scandal
27th February 2014 7:35 am GMT
Three international crickets have pleaded guilty for their involvement in a match-fixing scandal during last year’s Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 tournament, while the owner of one of the tournament’s franchises has also been convicted of match-fixing.
Last August, nine individuals were charged by the International Cricket Council in relation to various offences that are alleged to have been committed under the BCB’s Anti-Corruption Code during the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League.
The charges relate to an alleged conspiracy within the Dhaka Gladiators franchise to engage in match-fixing and spot-fixing activity during matches in the BPL 2013, as well as failures by individuals to report approaches made to them to be involved in the conspiracy.
Before a special hearing by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) anti-corruption tribunal yesterday, three of the players – former New Zealand batsman Lou Vincent, former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful and Sri Lankan spinner Kaushal Lokuarachchi – pleaded guilty to their involvement.
Vincent, who retired last year, had failed to report an approach from illegal bookmakers while playing for the Khulna Royal Bengals last January, but maintained that “nothing untoward occurred beyond the approach.”
The tribunal also found one of the owners of the Dhaka Gladiators, Shihab Jishan Chowdhury, guilty of one charge of match-fixing involving a match in Chittagong. He will be sentenced in the next two weeks.
All of the others were acquitted of the charges, including Kent all-rounder Darren Stevens.
Following the tribunal's ruling, the ICC and BCB issued a joint statement saying they were “surprised and obviously disappointed with the outcome.”
“Both organisations await the tribunal's detailed written determination setting out the reasons for the outcome, which will be provided shortly, and will consider it carefully before determining the next steps, including whether to appeal any aspect(s) of the judgment,” the statement.
