Sharjeel, Shahzeb plead innocence before FIA

Understanding reached to let PCB tribunal complete its proceedings first

LAHORE: Sharjeel Khan and Shahzeb Hassan on Tuesday appeared before a Federal Investigation Agency team here and recorded their statements in a probe into a spot-fixing scandal linked to the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2017.

Both the accused cricketers told the investigating officers that they were contacted by bookies during the PSL in Dubai through mobile phones provided by the event organizers. “We received several calls soon after landing in Dubai for the PSL. We don’t know the callers who offered us huge money for this dirty business that we refused straightway,” sources quoting their statements told The News. Both the players blamed mafia for involving them in the spot-fixing trap to destroy their career and bring a bad name to the country. The FIA team questioned Sharjeel and Shahzeb for around three hours. 

It has also been learnt that Muhammad Irfan and Khalid Latif, who appeared before the inquiry team on Monday, had confessed to having meetings with the bookies in Pakistan and Dubai. Irfan held around five meetings with the bookies including Sajid in Karachi even before the start of the PSL season-II, the sources said.

Irfan, who has a humble background, denied his involvement in fixing and told the investigators that he was ready to face any punishment for not informing the authorities in time about his meetings with the bookies. Khalid Latif met the bookies for several times before and during the PSL, the sources said.

When asked about Nasir Jamshed, another accused of spot-fixing and currently in the United Kingdom (UK), the sources said: “We would involve our Foreign Office and Interpol to bring him back for questioning.” To another question, they said all the bookies involved in this scam of foreign origin as well as those running this dirty business in Pakistan would have to face probe. “We will do whatever we could to clean this mess from Pakistan cricket as per directions of Interior Minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan,” they said.

Meanwhile, it is learnt the FIA and the PCB have reached a understanding that the agency would not take any further actions till the board completed its tribunal’s proceedings. According to a senior FIA official, who wished not to be named, said the understanding has been reached between the two sides after a contact between Chairman Pakistan Super League (PSL) Najam Sethi and Interior Minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan.

Sources, privy to the developments, told The News that the FIA wouldn’t take any further action against the players till the conclusion of the PCB Anti-corruption Tribunal proceedings, commencing from Friday, March 24.

“We have recorded statements of the accused cricketers and now would wait for Tribunal’s proceedings. As soon as the tribunal completed its task, we will take every possible action needed as per law including registration of FIRs against the players if anyone found guilty”, the FIA official said, To a question, the official further said: “Tribunal’s decision would not affect our findings at all.”

“PCB’s tribunal can only ban these players as punishment but we will charge them under the criminal offences,” he remarked, adding, as the cricketers are contractual players with the PCB and they could be prosecuted for criminal charges.    

When contacted on Tuesday, a spokesman of the PCB Mr Amjad Hussain said he doesn’t know that whether any official request has been made to FIA or not regarding the ongoing probe. He, however, said, through media, he came to know that the PSL Chairman has made a contact with the Interior Minister. To a question, the spokesman further said the Tribunal would start its work from Friday (tomorrow).