gemi10689
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 Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 12:05 pm Post subject: Pakistan cricketers guilty of betting scam Salman Butt (lef |
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Pakistan cricketers guilty of betting scam
Salman Butt (left) and Mohammad Asif were on trial at Southwark Crown Court
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Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif have been found guilty of their part in a "spot-fixing" scam after a trial at Southwark Crown Court.
Former captain Butt, 27, and fast bowler Asif, 28, were both found guilty of conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments.
They plotted to deliberately bowl no-balls during a Lord's Test match against England last summer.
Another bowler, Mohammad Amir, admitted the charges prior to the trial.
The guilty pleas by the bowler, who was 18 when the scam took place, could not be reported before.
The jury was not told of these pleas.
BBC sport news correspondent James Pearce says all three are facing the prospect of jail terms.
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Analysis
Aleem Maqbool
BBC News, Lahore
The conspiracy theories are once again being aired here.
"The West just wants to destroy the image of Pakistan," says Zahim, a cricket fan eating at a restaurant outside Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium.
"We need to get to the real truth."
In the coming days many others, including some in the media, will say they too feel Pakistani cricketers have been unfairly victimised.
But when pushed, most will acknowledge that some of their former heroes must have been engaged in corruption.
"This involvement in betting has blackened Pakistan's name," Najam, another fan, tells me.
"They also put the whole nation through the shock. They must be punished and punished severely."
'Sordid' scandal in Pakistan's beloved cricket
Conspiracy to accept corrupt payments carries a maximum prison term of seven years.
Our correspondent also says the case "raises serious questions about the integrity of Test cricket".
A statement was read out by Amir's lawyer at the start of the trial, before any evidence had been heard.
He said: "Mohammad Amir accepts full responsibility for deliberately bowling two no-balls and, in due course, you will hear how this vulnerable 18-year-old boy was subjected to extreme pressure from those on whom he should have been able to rely.
"He recognises the damage his actions have caused Pakistan cricket."
Spot-betting involves gamblers staking money on the minutiae of sporting encounters such as the exact timing of the first throw-in during a football match or, as in this case, when a no-ball will be bowled.
After deliberating for nearly 17 hours, the jury unanimously convicted Butt and Asif of conspiracy to cheat.
Our correspondent said Butt's wife, Gul Hassan, had given birth to a baby boy one hour before he was found guilty.
The BBC's Aleem Maqbool, in Lahore, said the story was leading the national news in Pakistan and the four-week trial had been closely followed in the country.
Pakistan bowler Mohammad Amir pleaded guilty before the trial began
The judge, Mr Justice Cooke, extended bail for Butt and Asif until sentencing later this week.
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