Australian stars give evidence to bribe inquiry (8 January 1999)

8 January 1999

Australian stars give evidence to bribe inquiry

AFP

MELBOURNE, Australia, Jan 8 (AFP) - Australian Test cricketer Mark Waugh told an inquiry here Friday that he received 4,000 US dollars from an Indian bookmaker for information about weather and pitch conditions in Sri Lanka.

The Pakistani judicial inquiry into match-fixing was convened here following after Waugh and teammate Shane Warne admitted they accepted money from a bookmaker during the 1994 Singer Cup series in Sri Lanka.

Waugh told the inquiry he provided pitch and weather information on about 10 occasions and received the money from a man identified to him only as "John".

John, who had introduced himself as a bookmaker, also asked for information about Australian cricketers, team morale and tactics, but Waugh said he had refused to give any information about individuals or the team.

He said he had also been approached by former Pakistan cricket captain Salim Malik during a function in Pakistan and offered 200,000 US dollars if he could get four or five Australian players to play badly and lose a match the next day. But he had refused the offer.

Also questioned about his own betting habits, the Australian batsman said he liked betting on horse-racing but did not bet every day and he had never bet on cricket.

Waugh, who was cross-examined by Pakistani lawyers for more than 90 minutes, was asked if he knew about the rigging of a particular match in the 1994 series in which Australia beat Pakistan.

Pakistan Cricket Board legal adviser Ali Sibtain Fazli told Waugh that the commission had evidence suggesting the match was rigged but Waugh said the Australian team had no knowledge at all of the allegation.

The Pakistan Commission decided to hear evidence from Waugh and Warne following disclosures in Australia that they had been secretly fined by the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) for taking money from the bookmaker.

The fines were hushed up until the affair was leaked to the media here last month.

The pair had previously appeared before the commission while on tour in Pakistan to give evidence concerning their allegations about Malik, who has denied the charges.

Shortly after Waugh had completed his evidence, a man approached him in the hearing room brandishing a copy of his written statement and accusing him of lying about the amount of money he had accepted from the bookmaker.

Waugh's counsel, Michael Shatin, QC, called a security guard to deal with the man, who was allowed to remain in the hearing room for the remainder of the proceedings.

Warne and former Australian Test bowler Tim May were expected to be called to give evidence later Friday.

The ACB is footing the bill for the inquiry members' flights and accommodation for this session.

The Melbourne hearing, which is being conducted as a court session, is continuing before Lahore High Court registrar Abdus Salam Khawar, in place of inquiry head, High Court Judge Malik Mohammad Qayyum, who was unable to come to Australia.

Source :: AFP