Crisis-struck Pakistan cricket’s image took a severe beating today after a court here found former Test captain Salman Butt and pacer Mohammad Asif guilty of spot-fixing charges.
The 12-man jury found Butt guilty of conspiracy to accept corrupt payments and conspiracy to cheat, while Asif was convicted of the charge of conspiracy to cheat.
The decision came on the 20th day of the trial at Southwark Crown Court and required 16 hours of deliberation by the jury.
Butt faces up to seven years in prison for his role in the scandal that shook the core of international cricket last year after a sting by the now-defunct tabloid ‘News of the World’ revealed that the duo had conspired with alleged bookie Mazhar Majeed to send down deliberate no balls during the Lord’s Test against England.
Today’s verdicts are on three of the four charges as on the fourth accusation of Asif’s acceptance of corrupt payments, the jury returned a hung verdict.
Butt and Asif, along with Majeed, were put on trial here after a police raid on their hotel rooms last year led to recovery of cash, which was allegedly paid by the bookmaker.
Teen pacer Mohammad Aamir, who was also involved in the conspiracy, did not face trial as he had reportedly pleaded guilty.
Butt was banned for 10 years, five of which suspended, Asif for seven years, while Aamir was suspended for five years by the ICC in earlier disciplinary action against the trio.
Related posts:
- Asif blames PCB for spot-fixing ban
- Amir confesses to involvement in spot-fixing
- Never met bookie Mazhar Majeed : Yuvi,Bhajji
- Gupta pleads not guilty in insider trading, released on bail
- Doctors found guilty in Suman Case
- ‘Moderate Hurriyat favoured hanging Afzal if he was guilty’
- US court sets date for pre-trial hearing in 1984 riots case
- Chemist guilty of selling a used cannula asked to shut shop
- Kalmadi suffering from memory loss, may affect trial
- Three people held guilty in narcotics case
