Pak trio charged with... Cheating, conspiracy, corruption

More heat for Pakistan's Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir, Salman Butt

Pak trio charged with... Cheating, conspiracy, corruption

More heat for Pakistan's Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir, Salman Butt

Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir, Salman Butt have been told by British
authorities to 'voluntarily' return to UK for a hearing at the City of
Westminster Magistrates or prosecution will seek their extradition.
Under English law, criminal charge of cheating carries a maximum
jail-term of two years.

The charges relate to alleged incidents during a Test match against England at Lord's last year, when Britain's News of the World tabloid claimed the players were willing to deliberately bowl no-balls.

The newspaper alleged the players, who are currently provisionally suspended from international cricket, had colluded in a spot-fixing betting scam organised by British-based agent Mazhar Majeed.

"We have decided that Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif, Salman Butt and their agent, Mazhar Majeed, should be charged with conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments and also conspiracy to cheat," Simon Clements of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said in a statement.

"These charges relate to allegations that Mr Majeed accepted money from a third party to arrange for the players to bowl 'no balls' on 26 and 27 August 2010, during Pakistan's fourth Test at Lord's Cricket Ground in London."

Clements, head of the CPS Special Crime Division, added: "We are satisfied there is sufficient evidence for realistic prospect of conviction."

They have been told to return "voluntarily" to Britain for the hearing at the same court, City of Westminster Magistrates or prosecutors will seek their extradition.

At the time of the alleged offences, Butt (26) was captain of Pakistan's Test side and had won plaudits for his leadership. Asif (28) was the team's senior pace bowler, while teenage left-arm swing bowler Amir (18) is regarded as one of the hottest properties in world cricket.

The Pakistan trio have all repeatedly denied wrongdoing. A separate International Cricket Council (ICC) tribunal is due to announce the conclusions from its own probe into the matter in Doha on Saturday. ICC's code of conduct carries a maximum lifetime ban from the game if corruption charges are proved.

Amir, reacting to the announcement, told AFP in Doha: "I have just come to know about this. I will discuss this with my lawyer. My first attention is on the ICC hearing and verdict on Saturday."

Spot fixing timeline...
August 2010
* The News of the World says it paid 150,000 pounds to middle man Mazhar Majeed in return for details about the timing of three no-balls in Pakistan's fourth Test against England at Lord's from bowlers Mohd Amir and Mohd Asif.
* The bowlers and Test captain Salman Butt are interviewed by Scotland Yard detectives.
* Pakistan Cricket Board says it will not suspend its players while investigations continue.

September
* Butt, Amir and Asif dropped from the Pak's T20 games.
* ICC provisionally suspends Butt, Amir and Asif through its under anti-corruption code.
* ak ODI skipper Shahid Afridi apologises to "cricket lovers and cricketing nations" for spot-fixing row.
* News of the World releases footage of Pakistan Test player Yasir Hameed claiming teammates "were doing it (fixing) in every match".

October
* Asif withdraws challenge to his provisional suspension.

November
* Pakistan suspends the contracts of Butt, Asif and Amir.

December
* Salman Butt denies allegations he was involved in a spot-fixing scam, saying: "I have not done anything such as this in all my life".

January, 2011
* After six days of evidence, a three-man independent anti-corruption tribunal, meeting in Qatar, decides to delay an announcement of its findings until February 5.

February
* The British Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) says announces that the trio of cricketers face legal action in England following a separate investigation by London's Metropolitan Police.

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