Trio called for preliminary hearing

Judge summons players, agent in July.

KARACHI:

The banned Pakistan trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, with their agent Mazhar Majeed, have been summoned to a preliminary hearing in July by the Southwark Crown Court in London.

The four individuals are facing charges of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, following the Lord’s Test last August in which they were accused of bowling pre-determined no-balls.

During a hearing on May 20, which none of the accused attended, the court had decided that their trial will begin on October 4. However, judge James Sanders, has given orders that require the accused to attend the hearing in July, either in person or via video conferencing, before the regular trial starts in October.

“The date hasn’t been fixed as yet,” a court official told The Express Tribune. “The court is trying to confirm the availability of the concerned parties.”

The three players have been found guilty of spot-fixing by the International Cricket Council and have been banned for a minimum period of five years each.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 25^th, 2011.