Gupta told to provide evidence

Tony Lawrence

Indian bookmaker Mukesh Gupta has been given until July 1 to substantiate his allegations that he offered or paid money to leading international cricketers for pitch and team information.

At a news conference on Monday the head of the International Cricket Council's Anti-Corruption Unit Paul Condon said Gupta had until the end of this month to either appear before a cricket disciplinary committee or make a legal deposition.

"We have had two meetings with Gupta," Condon said. "My team met him in March this year where he verbally confirmed to them all the allegations.

"I have given Mr Gupta an ultimatum that unless he lets us know by the first of July that he is willing to co-operate and give evidence either in India or outside of India we must assume that he is not prepared to co-operate further.

"My team will be India later this week reinforcing this message. Mr Gupta will either agree to be a formal witness or he won't."

GUPTA ALLEGATIONS

Gupta told the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation that he had offered or paid money to nine non-Indian players including former West Indies' skipper Brian Lara, former England captain Alec Stewart and Australian Mark Waugh.

Australia's Dean Jones, South Africa's Hansie Cronje, Sri Lanka's Aravinda de Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga, New Zealand's Martin Crowe and Pakistan's Salim Malik were also named in the CBI report.

Condon said Crowe would be interviewed in New Zealand on June 30 and a report on an interview with de Silva and Runatunga would be completed by the end of this month.

He said Australia had submitted a interim report on Waugh and added he hopes to interview Stewart shortly.

"There's a whole raft of issues and investigations going on which for legal reasons primarily we can't openly debate with you today," Condon said. "But as each one of them comes to closure obviously we will make some sort of comment."

Earlier the ICC agreed to accept all 24 recommendations for its reform from the ACU.

"We have accepted all 24 recommendations contained in Sir Paul's report," ICC president Malcolm Gray said.

"It's not just a matter of catching the crooks. What this report does is to allow us, the ICC, to go forward with a plan to prevent it happening again. Prevention is better than cure."

The ACU's first report into match-fixing called for the ICC to become "more open, transparent and accountable".

"The ICC will be in a stronger position if it continues to evolve from its origins as a loose and fragile alliance into a modern regulatory body whose role is clarified and whose transactions are more transparent and accountable," Condon said.

A five-man ICC inquiry panel, which fully endorsed Condon's report, was more scathing.

"It has become apparent that the present structure of the ICC is inadequate to run international cricket and to manage the vast sums of money it now receives from television rights and other sources," said a panel statement.

Condon's inquiry was set up after Cronje admitted taking money from bookmakers.

Cronje, former Pakistan captain Malik and former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin were subsequently banned for life after judicial and criminal inquiries.

You can also see:
Match-fixing - The complete story

Mail Cricket Editor