Cricket Match-Fixing Scandal: Four Charged After 24 Years

Over two decades after the infamous cricket match-fixing scandal rocked the sport, a Delhi court has charged four individuals, including Sanjeev Chawla, a London-based bookie, and actor Krishan Kumar, with cheating and criminal conspiracy.

The 68-page order, which paves the way for the trial, outlines the alleged roles of Chawla, Kumar, Delhi-based bookie Rajesh Kalra, and Sunil Dara alias Bittoo. Delhi Police had named them in a chargesheet filed in 2013 in connection with the 2000 cricket match-fixing scandal involving the late South African captain Hansie Cronje.

According to the investigation, Chawla played a "vital role by acting as a conduit between bookies and fixing matches in connivance with Hansie Cronje." The court noted that "the entire match-fixing would not have been possible without the active involvement of South African captain, Hansie Cronje, who confessed to his role and involvement before the King's Commission of Enquiry."

The King's Commission was appointed by the South African government to investigate allegations of match-fixing against the country's players.

Chawla's advocate argued that there was no prima facie evidence that the person appearing before the court as Sanjeev Chawla was the same as the person named in the chargesheet. However, the court dismissed this argument, stating that Chawla had been absconding for nearly 20 years and was apprehended only after painstaking extradition proceedings.

The court also noted that Chawla moved around with Cronje "as his shadow" for most of the tournament, staying in the same hotels. "The deals fixed with Cronje are onward shared with the other accused persons, who then proceed to further discuss it amongst themselves and place bets accordingly," the court said.

Regarding the charges against the other accused, the court noted that Kalra had allegedly met Cronje in the presence of Chawla on March 14, 2000, at a hotel in Delhi and made constant telephonic conversations with the South African captain. He is also alleged to have purchased a mobile connection in his name and handed it over to Cronje through Chawla.

The court also noted that call transcriptions revealed that Dara spoke to Chawla regarding betting and match-fixing, including how much money should be paid to Cronje and what they would earn.

According to the chargesheet, Kumar accompanied Chawla to a hotel in Mumbai on March 20 and booked a room for him using his credit card, where the London-based bookie and Cronje conspired to fix matches. The court noted that hotel staff statements corroborate this.

The case came to light during an anti-extortion cell investigation into extortion calls being made from Dubai. The interception of the accused's telephonic calls revealed that they were discussing match-fixing and betting about the ongoing 'Pepsi Cup' in India.

The Crime Branch of Delhi Police had stumbled upon the match-fixing scandal in April 2000 when they intercepted calls of a London-based bookie.

Tags: #cricket, #fraud, #sport, #match-fixing, #HansieCronje