Cronje's indemnity hopes dashed

Telford Vice

Former South Africa captain Hansie Cronje, banned from the game for life for his involvement in match-fixing last year, has not been granted indemnity from criminal prosecution, prosecutors said on Friday.

Cronje needed to satisfy fully the King Commission, investigating corruption in South African cricket, that he had made a full disclosure to win indemnity from the government.

But a spokesman for prosecutions director Bulelani Ngcuka said the inability of the commission's head, Judge Edwin King, to decide whether Cronje had come completely clean meant the offer of indemnity no longer held good.

"Cronje does not have indemnity," said Ngcuka spokesman Sipho Ngwema from Pretoria. "The deal with Mr Cronje was that he must tell the truth.

"However, his lawyers challenged the commission's legality, and the judge couldn't determine whether Cronje had told the truth. The offer of indemnity was completely conditional on that."

King wrote in his final report, released on Friday that the commission was required to express to the national director an opinion on Cronje's credibility.

"Due to subsequent developments the commissioner is not in a position to express such opinion and has advised the national director accordingly; the national director is in agreement with the commissioner's decision," the report said.

Cronje's lawyers have said their client already had indemnity from criminal prosecution and that it would have to be withdrawn before he could face charges.

They said the cricketer was offered and accepted the offer of the guarantee, made to him by the government, during the King commission hearings in Cape Town last June.

"We already have an indemnity," Les Sackstein, the leader of Cronje's legal team, said on June 11.

"Shamila Batohi (the commission's lead advocate) said during the commission that Mr Cronje had been offered an indemnity and that he had accepted it. If it were to be withdrawn, that would be a different matter."

LEGAL CHALLENGE

Sackstein said on Friday that Cronje's legal team is satisfied that the issue of Cronje's indemnity would be decided by Ngcuka.

"I think King has completely misunderstood his obligations, and I don't think our confidence in Mr Ngcuka is misplaced. He is a top class operator," Sackstein said.

Cronje plans to challenge his life ban by the United Cricket Board in court in Pretoria from September 26 to 28.

"Mr (UCB president Percy) Sonn is filled with enthusiasm to go to court, and we shouldn't disappoint him," Sackstein said.

The UCB released a statement on Friday commending King "for his valuable efforts in assisting the fight against corruption in cricket".

"As judge King has stated in his final report, the primary objective of the King commission ... was achieved and steps are now being adopted in world cricket to attempt to eradicate dishonesty from the game," the statement said.

"The fight against corruption continues with the ongoing work of the International Cricket Council's anti-corruption unit.

"The UCB has endorsed all of the recommendations contained in the ACU's recent report ... and the UCB remains committed to continuing to implement procedures and policies which will help to ensure that corruption is kept out of South African cricket."

On Cronje's indemnity, the statement quoted Sonn as saying, "It is understandable and fair that judge King has decided he is not in a position to express an opinion on Mr Cronje's credibility and that the issue of indemnity from prosecution is one to be handled by the South African prosecution services."

Earlier report
Cronje may not be prosecuted

Mail Cricket Editor