Exclusive: King releases interim report

Paul Martin Cainer Southern Africa Correspondent for rediff.com

Two banned South African cricketers, Herschelle Gibbs and Henry Williams, are to be granted immunity from prosecution for their admitted roles in cricket corruption, according to informed sources close to the King Commission into match-fixing.

At the same time, disgraced ex-captain Hansie Cronje stands accused, in the Commission's interim report, of not having told the whole truth. Judge King declares that he cannot therefore state that Cronje has met the conditions agreed upon with the Justice Department for receiving immunity from criminal prosecution.

These are some of the key findings in the Commission's interim report, which is being handed to the Minister of Sport, the Minister of Justice and the President of South Africa today (Friday).

Gibbs tearfully admitted to the Commission that he had agreed to score less than 20 runs in one match, but then got carried away with his successful battting to score a half-century. Williams said he agreed to bowl badly but got injured after one over and could not fulfil his bargain with Cronje.

One newspaper has claimed that the judge will recommend a suspended life ban on these players. When I asked the judge over phone today if this was the case, he said he would not reveal any aspects of his findings at this stage. However, I understand that the judge cannot legitimately make any such recommendation. His job is simply fact- finding, and his recommendations would relate more to how to prevent such scandals erupting agin, rather than specific punishments.

The Commission's findings will only become public only after the President has read the report and formally releases it. That is expected to be well before next Thursday, when the United Cricket Board's disciplinary committee meets to decide on punishment for Gibbs and Williams.

If they give these two players suspended sentences, they could be touring with South Africa again in the next couple of weeks. Gibbs is a vital cog in the fragile South African batting line-up.

The United Cricket Board has already sacked Cronje as captain, and Cronje has said he will take no more part in any form of cricket.

However, he did play a round of golf with Gibbs on the Fancourt golf course alongside his luxurious home on the Cape south coast earlier this week. It may have been an omen of good fortune to come that Gibbs hit his first ever hole-in- one. The course is putting up a plaque to mark this achievement.

Cronje has been stuck at home, contemplating new offers for book and even film rights on his sordid story of betrayal, enticement, and greed. So far, he has given an interview to the down-market, mass-circulation British paper, News of the World, another for an Australian channel, and a third (along with his deceived wife) for a South African satellite television show. The latter will be serialised later this month.

It includes his thoughts of suicide, his problems with his wife over deceiving her, his comments on the influence of "Satan" on his behaviour, and why he is addicted to acquiring money.

The huge payments he is receiving for these media appearances will of course help him acquire even more money.

Meanwhile Judge King, who lost a major court battle against Live Africa Network News when he refused to allow broadcasts of the hearings, has himself become a celebrity. In an interview with a cricket magazine he said he was finding it hard to "come to terms with his fame".

His investigative lawyer, Shamila Batohi, has become even more famous, and was splashed across the cover of a woman's magazine recently.

Most lawyers, including those representing certain of the South African cricket-players, consider her approach amateurish.

She may get tougher, though, when Cronje, and SA Cricket managing director Ali Bacher, are recalled to the witness stand. The hearing finally resumes on October 2.

Paul Martin Cainer is CEO, Live Africa News Networks

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