New Delhi, May 27: Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif, a central character in bringing the match-fixing issue to the fore, while reacting to India all-rounder Manoj Prabhakar's allegations against Kapil Dev has said that ``Prabhakar himself is not above board''.In an interview to website Narad Online, Latif says that ``even if Kapil did approach Prabhakar with an offer, it could only be because he (Kapil) knew Prabhakar was also in the racket . Prabhakar must have also, at some time, been part of this racket. An outsider can never tell or know when a team is fixing a match''.In the interview, Latif mentions an incident when the Pakistan team returning from their New Zealand tour in 1994 came across Prabhakar while in transit ``either in Singapore or Bangkok. I remember him (Prabhakar) telling one of our players that he had heard about the circumstances in which we (Pakistan) lost the One-Day match in Christchurch and that he (Prabhakar) should also be told how to make money like this.''When asked why Prabhakar has reacted six years after the ``offer'' took place, Latif said: ``I know it is late .. and I think it is because he now clearly has the backing and support of Inderjit Singh Bindra.''On match-fixing in India, Latif said that he had first hand knowledge that some Indian players were involved. ``I don't want to take a name here, because he is a friend. But he is a current Indian player and he told me himself that so and so were involved in fixing matches from time to time.''Talking about the Justice Qayyum report and how its findings have vindicated his stand, Latif said that ``other countries should follow similar example and stop trying to protect their own''.Manoj is not clean: OutlookNEW DELHI: Manoj Prabhakar, who has taken the lead in cleansing the game of betting, is himself involved in match-fixing, says a report in June 5 issue of the Outlook magazine. Outlook quotes a senior Mumbai police officer who confirmed: ``Prabhakar was as guilty, if not more than, the people he is pointing fingers at.''The report says that Prabhakar's name figured prominently in telephone conversations monitored by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence in the early 90s and quotes a DRI investigator as saying: ``His (Prabhakar) name was quoted often and sums of money were also mentioned when these bookies were talking.'' According to the report, the monitored conversations revealed that Rs 20 lakh was paid to Prabhakar.The DRI sources further add: ``The intelligene which we gathered at that time was explosive enough to be taken ahead. If we were given the go ahead, we could have hit paydirt.''The magazine says that both the intelligence agencies chanced upon Prabhkar's name when it figured repeatedly while keeping tabs on the Mumbai bookies and the Dubai underworld nexus. One top investigator told Outlook that on the basis of information which they have, Prabhakar's role in match-fixing would now increasingly be put under scrutiny.According to the report, Prabhakar was one of the four names mentioned in the DRI telephone intercepts. The other three are Mohammed Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja and Nayan Mongia. The intercepts were later handed over to the then Revenue secretary MR Sivaraman, who in turn passed them on to the then BCC chief Madhavrao Scindia.``All their names were being bandied around. It distinctly gave the impression that they were involved directly or indirectly in some match-fixing deals,'' a top DRI investigator says.The report also says that Prabhakar's name figures prominently in conversations that were tapped by the Mumbai Olice's Crime Branch in November, 1996 when the Titan Cup was in progress. The tapping took place when the police were routinely investigating an underworld murder in the city. Though Prabhakar was not playing, he was a key figure in arranging bets with the bookies, the report alleges.
