CBI seeks Azhar, Sharma
I-T details: PTI
The Central Bureau of Investigation has asked the income-tax authorities to provide details of assets of cricketers Mohammed Azharuddin and Ajay Sharma, against whom the agency has not ruled out the possibility of prosecution under the Prevention of Corruption Act, as they were "public servants".
Agency sources said the CBI had written to the I-T department, seeking details of the players' assets.
Sleuths of the Special Crime Branch are also working on other leads, the sources said.
Special Director G Achari, overall in-charge of investigations into the match-fixing scandal, had said, "We will pursue the case against the players under the PCA."
"We are gathering more evidence against them and are awaiting more inputs from the I-T authorities," he had said, adding that "at some stage we may call them for further questioning."
Azhar is chief manager and public relations officer with the public sector State Bank of India and Sharma is with the Central Warehousing Corporation.
The sources said though their prosecution is not ruled out, the further course of action will depend on further evidence the agency gathers.
I-T sources said the CBI should not "hurry" in filing a first information report against any cricketers till the I-T department completes its assessment.
This will help the CBI strengthen the case against the players, the I-T sources said, adding that any hurry would level the case with that of hawala case, which fizzled out.
The CBI has referred its probe report to former Supreme Court judge Justice M K Mukherjee and Solicitor General of India Harish Salve for their expert legal opinion on "whether the facts disclosed in the enquiry are sufficient to institute a case for any criminal offence".
Though Mukherjee ruled out a case of cheating against the players, he said, "They may be said to have committed offences under Section 13(1(d)(i) of the Prevention of Corruption Act".
Salve also felt there was no point proceeding against them due to "the agency's improbability in being able to obtain sufficient legal evidence".
In its 162-page report, the CBI has said technically cases under the PCA could be registered against Azharuddin and Sharma, but added, "Looking at the issue in totality, the question of registration of a case under Sections 13(1)(d)(i) and (iii) (criminal misconduct) is under evaluation."
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