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Asad Rauf maintains innocence, asks for proof

Asad Rauf has maintained his innocence and called for proof regarding the allegations of corruption against him

Asad Rauf: "I have done five IPLs and my decisions have been 100 per cent correct."  •  Getty Images

Asad Rauf: "I have done five IPLs and my decisions have been 100 per cent correct."  •  Getty Images

Pakistan umpire Asad Rauf has maintained his innocence and called for proof regarding the allegations of corruption against him, after being named as a "wanted accused" in the Mumbai Police's chargesheet for the betting scandal in IPL 2013. Rauf had been umpiring in the IPL but left India during the tournament, even as it emerged that Mumbai Police wanted him for questioning.
When asked if he knew Vindoo Dara Singh, who was also named in the chargesheet, Rauf was defiant: "I have thousands of friends but that doesn't mean that if my friends do something, then I have anything to do with that. Let them prove something. If it was the case that I have taken a favour or a gift, or money was given to me, you got to prove allegations.
After leaving India in May, Rauf returned to Pakistan where he held a press conference and stressed that he had not engaged in any corrupt activities. When news had emerged that Rauf was wanted for questioning by police, the ICC issued a release saying that the umpire had been stood down from his duties in the Champions Trophy in England. Rauf was later dropped from the Elite Panel of Umpires but the ICC clarified that the situation was not a factor in his exclusion.
Rauf said he would explain his current position to the ICC's Anti-Corrpution and Security Unit. "I have been an employee of ICC. Like police, they [ACSU] also investigate. When they call me, I will answer them through my legal adviser. I have done five IPLs and my decisions have been 100% correct. I will answer to ICC regarding these allegations."