BCB to discuss with Government to make match-fixing a criminal offence
Sayeed Ibrahim Ahmed, Bangladesh Cricket Board's ad-hoc committee member, said that the board will discuss with the government and see whether match-fixing can be turned into a criminal offense, if required.
Ibrahim, son of present government's home minister Salahuddin Ahmed, told Cricbuzz on Wednesday that they have zero-tolerance on fixing issues and insisted recent banning of cricketers and organizers due to their involvement in the fixing related activities in BPL is a move towards that direction and urges all to consider it as a warning and insisted they can go for stricter action.
Recently, BCB charged players and team owners under ICC Anti Corruption Code.
"If the cases (fixing) are changed from civil to criminal, then people will definitely think and consider it (that fixing is a criminal offense) before doing such a thing," said Ibrahim, who is contesting in the BCB election from category and looks certain to get a place in the next elected board following the BCB election, scheduled on June 7.
"You have already seen that our board members have already served notices to five individuals regarding a fixing scandal. We took that decision based on the report from our Anti-Corruption Unit," he said.
"So, I hope this serves as a warning to everybody," he said. "Lets keep sports clean. If required we can talk to the various stakeholders and start the initiatives( of turning fixing into a criminal offense)," he added.
Mahin M Rahman, counsel to the BCB's Integrity Unit and head of its legal team, told this website that they are looking to start the process following the EID vacation as there is parliament in place. "First the law needs to be made from the Law commission and later it needs to be approved by the law ministry after getting the approval," said Mahin.
"I think there is a law being drafted in this regard( fixing) as far as I know and after Eid I will do close follow-up with the government about it. Match-fixing has to be criminalised under the law of land. In several countries, including Sri Lanka, it has been criminalised. And it has been done very specifically in relation to cricket," he said.
"They have criminalised it in a way that directly targets cricket. There will be a specific law that clearly addresses these issues in cricket and other sports, including what happens if someone is involved in fixing or corrupt practices," he said. "It will fall under criminal law, which is a subject of penal law. Not exactly inside the existing penal code, but there will be a separate law," he added.
Match-fixing is not a new phenomenon in the BPL, considering the league has often been entangled in controversies, with instances of spot-fixing and match-fixing coming to light since its inception in 2012. Former Bangladesh skipper Mohammad Ashraful was subsequently banned for eight years (three years suspended) by the BPL anti-corruption tribunal for skyexchange master id and spot-fixing in the 2013 edition, while the BCB had to postpone the 2014 edition of the BPL.
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