Action against tainted players soon: ED

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said today it would soon initiate action against the tainted cricketers who are alleged to have received certain payments in foreign currencies and has already examined some bookies in this connection.

The move comes close on the heels of the CBI report on betting and match-fixing which had been sent to the Directorate for necessary action.

Official sources said the ED was looking into the CBI allegations that some cricketers had been paid in foreign currencies. The sources said some bookies had also been examined by the ED in this connection which could lead to filing of cases against some cricketers.

The sources also said that the findings of the ED sleuths were being evaluated by the legal cell of the department. The Directorate might seek a clarification from the CBI officials in certain cases for which the premier investigating agency has already agreed.

CBI's Special Director G Achari had said earlier it was for the ED to find out whether a case could be filed against some players who had allegedly received payments in foreign currencies. The ED will also seek CBI's help in having the original statements of the bookies as only a part of it had been reproduced in the agency's report.

The sources said this would also help the ED in corroborating the statements made by the bookies before the Directorate. The CBI sources said the full text of the statements had been withheld because of further investigations.

Meanwhile, the Union Sports Ministry has forwarded a copy of the CBI report to the Finance Ministry, which would soon be receiving an appraisal report on raids conducted by the Income Tax authorities on the premises of some cricketers and others on July 20.

IT authorities are also preparing the appraisal report on the cricketers raided by the department. It will be ready shortly and the report on the bookies and other associates would be completed by the year end.

Highly-placed IT sources said the report on the cricketers was "getting priority and if not all, some will be ready by next week". It may be recalled that the premises of seven cricketers - Kapil Dev, Mohammed Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja, Ajay Sharma, Nikhil Chopra, Manoj Prabhakar and Navjot Singh Sidhu - were raided by IT officials in a nation-wide raid on July 20.