The tribunal ruling reflects on the entire case and shows its pre-determination and bias.
LAHORE: This is with reference to a report in your newspaper of December 17 titled “Salman Butt’s lawyers prepare second reply to ICC”.
I have been following the spot-fixing allegation saga since the beginning and I would agree whole-heartedly with Salman Butt’s lawyers. How can the ICC, without hearing Salman Butt or his lawyers, reject the ‘preliminary’ response which contained objections to the jurisdiction, composition and process of the tribunal?
Instead of ruling on the preliminary objections contained in the ‘preliminary’ response, the tribunal ruling reflects on the entire case and shows its pre-determination and bias. Mr Butt should appeal this biased and pre-determined decision to the International Court of Arbitration for Sports. In addition, the final response was to be filed regardless (which i believe has been filed by one Yasin Patel, a UK-based lawyer), so saying that the ICC has asked Salman Butt to file a ‘fresh’ or ‘second’ response is misplaced.
Turab Saigol
Published in The Express Tribune, December 20th, 2010.
