Posted by Blogger Name. Category:
Andrew Fitch-Holland
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Anti-corruption unit
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Brendon McCullum
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Chris Cairns
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ICC
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Lou Vincent
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Match-fixing
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Presumption of innocence
New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum has received something of an endorsement from the ICC; the Herald reports:
The ICC has publicly commended New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum for his conduct in the match-fixing scandal enveloping the game.
The International Cricket Council's chief executive David Richardson spoke publicly to ward off any "misperception that he is somehow under suspicion".
McCullum's testimony to the ICC's anti-corruption investigation was leaked to the public this week, along with that of Lou Vincent. While Vincent's role in match-fixing is now becoming clear, Richardson said McCullum had done everything right.
He said the fact confidential information found its way into the public domain was worrying and the ICC was investigating how this happened as a matter of urgency.
"Of course, we recognise that this is a deeply concerning development for the stakeholders in the fight against corruption in the sport of cricket, and we wish to emphasise that Brendon McCullum is not under investigation in this matter," Richardson said.
"Whilst we have privately offered our full support to Brendon, we do so now publicly not only to confirm that, by assisting with the ACSU's enquiries, he has acted quite properly in accordance with his responsibilities as a professional cricketer... He is to be commended for his actions and we deeply regret that aspects of his statement are now in the public domain."
This does not bode well for Chris Cairns. He has said that Brendon McCullum and Lou Vincent are lying when they accuse him of being the mysterious Player X, but the evidence that McCullum, Vincent, Vincent's ex-wife and others have given to the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit is detailed and explicit.
Chris Cairns is, as we have said any number of times, entitled to the presumption of innocence. The onus will be on the ICC and any prosecutorial services to prove the allegations against Cairns beyond reasonable doubt. But it must be said that the evidence at this point is stacking up against Cairns. Clearly, both Cairns and McCullum cannot be telling the truth when their stories are at opposite ends of the scale.
There is a separate issue for Chris Cairns. If it is later found that the evidence he gave in his libel case against ICL boss Lalit Modi in London was false, he will be at risk of being prosecuted for perjury, and the damages awarded to him may have to be repaid. The arrest in March of his former lawyer Andrew Fitch-Holland in London on suspicion of perverting the course of justice in relation to the libel case suggests that the match-fixing investigation may be just one of the hurdles Cairns faces in the next few months and years.
These are terribly sad times for those of us who love cricket.
