The Anti-Corruption Tribunal of the Bangladesh Cricket Board is unlikely to deliver its detailed verdict regarding Bangladesh Premier League’s match-fixing scandal before May, said a Tribunal member on Saturday. The Tribunal on February 26 acquitted six players and officials of match-fixing related offences during the second edition of BPL and found an owner of the champions Dhaka Gladiators guilty.
The BCB formed the Tribunal after the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit of the International Cricket Council charged nine individuals of being involved in corrupt practices or failing to report corrupt approaches made to them during the BPL second edition.
The three players, who pleaded guilty, are also waiting for a full verdict.
They included former New Zealand cricketer Lou Vincent, who was implicated during the trial phase.
‘We are expecting to deliver the verdict within the first week of May,’ Sakil Kashem, a member of the Tribunal, told New Age.
‘We would reason out why we had accuitted the six individuals,’ said Kashem.
‘A technical issue was raised regarding the England’s Friends Life Twenty20, so we asked the prosecution to give their submission by April 17,’ said Kashem.
‘We have received it and it will take two weeks from the date of submission to announce our verdict,’ said Kashem.
The charges against Dhaka Gladiators owners – Salim Chowdhury and Shihab Chowdhury – also include soliciting English cricketers Darren Stevens and Joshua Cobb, coach Ian Pont and agent Eddie Tolchard to help fix Friends Life T20 matches.
The three-member Tribunal, headed by retired Supreme Court judge Khademul Islam Chowdhury, began the preliminary hearing on November 24.
Shihab Chowdhury – Salim’s son and Dhaka Gladiators managing director – was found guilty of making an attempt to fix the Gladiators’ match against Chittagong Kings in February last year and now face a further hearing before the Tribunal determines his punishment.
Kashem added that they will hold further hearing of Mohammad Ashraful, Kaushal Lokuarachchi and Lou Vincent as they pleaded guilty and filed a mercy petition, which they are legally entitled to.
‘We will conduct further hearing before announcing our detailed verdict,’ added Kashem.
Dhaka Gladiators chairman Salim Chowdhury, chief executive officer Gaurav Rawat of India, bowling coach Mohammad Rafique and players Mosharraf Hossain Rubel, Mahbubul Alam Robin and Stevens were acquitted of all charges after the Tribunal concluded its hearing.
The acquittals left the International Cricket Council and Bangladesh Cricket Board surprised.
Both the organisations said they will await the Tribunal’s detailed written verdict setting out the reasons for the outcome and will consider it carefully before determining the next steps, including whether to appeal against the judgment.
-With New Age input
