ICC takes hard line stance on corruption in international cricket
The recent decision handed down by the International Cricket Council (ICC) Anti-Corruption Tribunal, banning UAE cricketers Ashfaq Ahmed and Amir Hayat for an 8-year period, has outlined the strong stance against corruption in international cricket. These bans follow the 5-year ban received by UAE player Qadeer Ahmed for alleged match fixing conduct, and a two-year ban on T20 franchise owner Deepak Agarwal. The period of the bans for Ahmed and Hayat are likely to bring an end to their respective international careers.
In October 2019, Mr Ahmed was interviewed in connection with the ICC’s investigation into corrupt conduct. At that time, allegations were made that members of the UAE senior cricket team may have had dealings with a known corruption network controlled by a Mr Y. Mr Ahmed conceded that he had been contacted by Mr Y in September 2019 and that he had initially declined a message to meet him, and later declined to meet an intermediary that had also contacted him. Mr Hayat was also interviewed, and accepted that he had met with Mr Y, although his introduction to Mr Y was on account of Mr Ahmed. In WhatsApp messages procured by the ICC, it was found that Mr Ahmed had in fact been in contact with Mr Y for several months before the September 2019 contact cited by Mr Ahmed as their first interaction.
Later in 2019, Mr Ahmed and Mr Hayat met with Mr Y, receiving US$4000 as a gift and an indication that information would be provided at a later date with regard to match-fixing in future matches. It is important to note that, although this gift was retained, Mr Ahmed and Mr Hayat did not engage in any match-fixing activities prior to the investigation.
Under the ICC Anti-Corruption Code for Participants (the Code), Mr Ahmed and Mr Hayat were charged with 5 separate breaches against articles of the Code. Those were as follows:
Code Article 2.1.3 on the basis of accepting a reward from a known corrupter.
Code Article 2.4.2 on the basis of their failure to disclose the receipt of the unlawful payment; and in the alternative Code Article 2.4.3 on the basis of their failure to disclose the receipt of a gift with a value of more than $750.
Code Article 2.4.4 on the basis of their failure to disclose the full details of the approach from the corrupter, Mr Y.
Code Article 2.4.5 whereby the Players both failed to disclose the receipt of the payment by the other.
Mr Ahmed and Mr Hayat were found guilty of committing these violations, backdating their bans to September 2020. Aggravating features tending towards guilt included the fact that both players were experienced crickets who had attended several anti-corruption sessions, indicating the ICC’s consistent focus on eradicating match-fixing from the game.
Although match-fixing conduct did not eventuate, Article 2.5.1 of the Code provides that any agreement with any other person that would constitute an offence will be treated as if an offence had been committed. Stamping out agreements, regardless of their final result, is indicative of the ICC’s stance against ‘the scourge of match fixing and related corruption in sport’.
If you are interested in viewing the full judgment handed down by the ICC, visit: https://resources.pulse.icc-cricket.com/ICC/document/2021/07/01/47ca9940-bb6b-4daf-ba14-c8b5aaf65e5d/ICC-v-Ahmed-Hayat-Award-Complete-Redacted-.pdf