Condon seeks meeting with Salim Malik, Asif Iqbal

The sources said Condon had requested for the meeting with Malik to be held in Pakistan, as he was aware that since the former captain was placed on the exit control list, he could not leave the country.

Malik, who is contemplating to settle in Canada, has said he would first get his name cleared before thinking of migrating.

Malik is already serving a life ban on recommendations of Justice Malik Muhammad Qayyum Commission, who submitted his findings to the government after carrying out a 13-month long inquiry into the match-fixing allegations against some Pakistani players.

Condon was keen to examine Malik not only on the basis of the CBI and Qayyum reports, but also since the British tabloid News of the World

had handed over video and audio tape recordings to the Unit, in which Malik claims to be a figurehead in the match-fixing racket.

The interview was recorded this year in April in London when the tabloid sent its undercover reporters to meet the former captain as businessmen interested in fixing matches.

Malik has said he had been trapped by the tabloid and the tapes were false since he knew a sting operation was being carried out.

ACB doubts players’ prosecution

ADELAIDE: The Australian cricket board said on Friday it doubted the ability of Australia’s courts to criminally prosecute a cricketer involved in match fixing.

ACB public relations general manager Brendan McClements also told a South Australian state parliamentary committee there appeared to be little action that could be taken against corrupt bookmakers.

McClements said should an Australian player be involvedin a match-fixing scandal similar to that involving former South African captain Hansie Cronje there would be a community expectation on criminal prosecution.

But he said legal advice given to the ACB indicated it would be difficult for such an action to succeed.

McClements said the fact that gambling was legislated on by seven different states and territories under overarching federal corporations laws complicated the issue.

“There’s no simple way, should someone (in Australia) doubt what Hansie’s done, to prosecute them in a criminal sense,” McClements told the parliamentary committee into online gambling.

“We can prosecute them within the sport, but whether we can prosecute them in a broader sense I’m not sure.

“We suspect there are some holes within Australia’s total legislative regime which means it would be difficult, should the eventuality arise here, to extract criminal prosecution that may well be expected.”

McClements also said bookmakers involved in match-fixing may escape prosecution both from within the sport and outside it.

He cited the case of a man believed to be a licensed bookmaker who had approached Australian batsman Ricky Ponting in 1998, offering him Australian $2,000 Australian (US $840) per one-day game in return for information on pitch conditions and team structure.

McClements said while the bookmaker was yet to beidentified, it was uncertain what legal action could be taken against him if he was named.

“We are confident that the bookmaker wasn’t in a position to put his licence in jeopardy. It’s a significant grey issue,” he said

The issue has gained ground here ever since Australian cricketer Mark Waugh, 35, was mentioned by bookmaker Mukesh Gupta in India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) report into match-fixing.