Former South African captain Hansie Cronje was paid Rs 1.20 crore in two installments of Rs 60 lakh each by London-based bookie Sanjeev Chawla to fix matches between India and South Africa, alleges the Delhi Police chargesheet on the match-fixing scandal of 2000.
Filed after 13 years, the chargesheet lists lists an important witness - Arun Sadashiv Donbre, who worked in the Taj Mumbai housekeeping staff and has disclosed in his statement that he saw Cronje "going inside Sanjeev Chawla's room empty-handed and coming out with a bag". This is said to prove Cronje's links with Chawla.
On Cronje, the chargesheet says, "The entire commission of offence of
fixing cricket matches between India and South Africa would not have
been possible without the active involvement and planning on the part of
the captain of the South African team. He himself confessed to the King
Commission about his role".
Delhi Police has named six persons including Cronje (now dead), London-based bookie Sanjeev Chawla alias Sanjay, bookie Manmohan Khattar (who fled to the US), Delhi-based bookies Rajesh Kalra, Sunil Dara alias Bittoo and T-Series founder Gulshan Kumar's brother Krishan Kumar, who was the first one to disclose that money was given to Cronje, as accused for criminal conspiracy and cheating. It has also asked for abating proceedings against Cronje since he is dead. The 93-page chargesheet, accessed by TOI, has left out the names of Cronje's then teammates - Herschelle Gibbs and Nicky Boje -- and does not name any other cricketer as accused or witness.
Giving details of Cronje's first meeting with Chawla, the chargesheet says, "It is revealed that Sanjeev Chawla was introduced to Cronje by one Hamid Cassim, a South African national, who was reportedly hanging out with the South Africa team members. Cassim came in contact with Chawla in South Africa in January 2000 during a triangular series between England, South Africa and Zimbabwe and then introduced him to Cronje".
The chargesheet has been filed on the basis of a CFSL report which confirmed the voices of arrested bookies in Delhi, statements of accused persons, Cronje's confession and call details records of Cronje, Chawla and others. It also cites the findings of the King Commission's report on Hansie Cronje's role. Boje and Gibbs were interrogated by the police but nothing was found against them.
Gibbs had accepted before the King Commission -- constituted in South Africa to probe the match-fixing allegations -- that he was offered money by Cronje to underperform. Boje had denied his involvement in the saga, states the chargesheet.
Delhi Police will begin the extradition process for Sanjeev Chawla, who reportedly lives at 4, Monkville Avenue, London NW and runs a restaurant in the name of 'East is East' there, and Manmohan Khattar, a resident of Lajpat Nagar, who had fled to the US. Non-bailable warrants and lookout circulars had been issued against them earlier.
According to the police, there is "sufficient evidence to prove that the accused persons had entered into a criminal conspiracy to fix the cricket matches played between India and South Africa from February 16, 2000 to March 20, 2000 in India". Cops say the first Test match at Mumbai and the first one-day international at Kochi was fixed.
The chargesheet, filed by a team of Inspector Keshav Mathur, Additional DCP Bhisham Singh and Additional CP Ravindra Yadav, says, "General public had purchased entry tickets to witness these matches and many others travelled from different places to witness the game. By engaging in such (fixing) activities, these people (accused) put the general public to a wrongful loss and illegally amassed large sums of money and wrongfully gains for themselves, thereby committing the offence of cheating and criminal conspiracy".
Source : Thetimesofindia.com
Delhi Police has named six persons including Cronje (now dead), London-based bookie Sanjeev Chawla alias Sanjay, bookie Manmohan Khattar (who fled to the US), Delhi-based bookies Rajesh Kalra, Sunil Dara alias Bittoo and T-Series founder Gulshan Kumar's brother Krishan Kumar, who was the first one to disclose that money was given to Cronje, as accused for criminal conspiracy and cheating. It has also asked for abating proceedings against Cronje since he is dead. The 93-page chargesheet, accessed by TOI, has left out the names of Cronje's then teammates - Herschelle Gibbs and Nicky Boje -- and does not name any other cricketer as accused or witness.
Giving details of Cronje's first meeting with Chawla, the chargesheet says, "It is revealed that Sanjeev Chawla was introduced to Cronje by one Hamid Cassim, a South African national, who was reportedly hanging out with the South Africa team members. Cassim came in contact with Chawla in South Africa in January 2000 during a triangular series between England, South Africa and Zimbabwe and then introduced him to Cronje".
The chargesheet has been filed on the basis of a CFSL report which confirmed the voices of arrested bookies in Delhi, statements of accused persons, Cronje's confession and call details records of Cronje, Chawla and others. It also cites the findings of the King Commission's report on Hansie Cronje's role. Boje and Gibbs were interrogated by the police but nothing was found against them.
Gibbs had accepted before the King Commission -- constituted in South Africa to probe the match-fixing allegations -- that he was offered money by Cronje to underperform. Boje had denied his involvement in the saga, states the chargesheet.
Delhi Police will begin the extradition process for Sanjeev Chawla, who reportedly lives at 4, Monkville Avenue, London NW and runs a restaurant in the name of 'East is East' there, and Manmohan Khattar, a resident of Lajpat Nagar, who had fled to the US. Non-bailable warrants and lookout circulars had been issued against them earlier.
According to the police, there is "sufficient evidence to prove that the accused persons had entered into a criminal conspiracy to fix the cricket matches played between India and South Africa from February 16, 2000 to March 20, 2000 in India". Cops say the first Test match at Mumbai and the first one-day international at Kochi was fixed.
The chargesheet, filed by a team of Inspector Keshav Mathur, Additional DCP Bhisham Singh and Additional CP Ravindra Yadav, says, "General public had purchased entry tickets to witness these matches and many others travelled from different places to witness the game. By engaging in such (fixing) activities, these people (accused) put the general public to a wrongful loss and illegally amassed large sums of money and wrongfully gains for themselves, thereby committing the offence of cheating and criminal conspiracy".
Source : Thetimesofindia.com
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