All 'Hansie' tapes not given to Batohi
South Africa's chief prosecutor in the King Commission inquiry into cricket match-fixing, Shamila Batohi, has charged that she has not been provided with all
the tapes of conversation between Hansie Cronje and an Indian
bookmaker, and the commission might "seek a court order to
secure them".
Batohi said that her recent trip to India was meant to
secure all the tape recordings but she obtained only
authenticated transcripts of the conversations.
"I have been handed part of the transcripts which have
been authenticated. But if we are going to get full
cooperation from the Indians, then they must hand over all
portions of the tapes relevant to the inquiry. Otherwise we
will have to seek a court order to secure them," Batohi said
in an interview published in Durban.
Batohi said that at first the Indian police were anxious
and suspicious in dealing with her team but once the two
parties won each other's confidence, vital information was
shared.
Declining to divulge details about any lead in the
investigation, the prosecutor said, "I cannot comment whether
there were other players or bookmakers implicated on the
collective tapes, but when I returned, I consulted with a
lawyer, Peter Whelan who represents present and former players
of the South African cricket team."
The commission will resume its investigation early
Novemeber.
Meanwhile, Cronje has announced through his lawyer that
he will challenge the life ban imposed on him.
Mail Cricket Editor