Justice Qayyum says scenario has changed (10 December 1998)

10 December 1998

Justice Qayyum says scenario has changed

By Our Sports Reporter

KARACHI, Dec 9: Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum, investigating the charges of betting and match-fixing in Pakistan cricket, admitted that the story has changed its colours with the confession of Mark Waugh and Shane Warne.

"The story has changed. The scenario is not the same as it was a couple of days ago," Justice Qayyum said from Lahore.

Justice Qayyum agreed that the credibility of the Australians and Mark Waugh in particular was now doubtful. "His reputation has been badly dented.

"But that doesn't prove their testimony and allegations against Salim Malik are incorrect. He (Salim Malik) can't be pronounced innocent at this stage though the authenticity of Mark Waugh's allegation is now suspected," Justice Qayyum.

He accepted that with the change in the situation he didn't know where to start from but maintained that he would be submitting his report to President Rafiq Tarar next week.

Justice Qayyum said he would be writing to the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) to provide him some more material which might be helpful in getting a broader vision of the scandal.

"The Pakistani commission will now use different means to investigate the accusations," the honourable Judge said.

Justice Qayyum said the 29 alleged bookies attended the hearings "and those who confessed their involvement in offering bribe to fix matches were liable to face criminal charges as betting and gambling is illegal."

To another question, the honourable judge said if President Tarar ordered criminal action against the players on his recommendations, the accused players had the right to challenge the findings and orders of the President in the court.

Ali Sibtain Fazli, legal advisor of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), said: "Before the breaking of the (Australian scandal) news, a lot of credibility had been attached to the statement of Mark Waugh. But now obviously his reputation has been shaken.

"An appraisal of the evidence has to be made keeping in mind the dented credibility of Mark Waugh because he made the statement on oath. He should have made a declaration about himself.

"But what I don't understand is as to why the ACB had not informed the PCB while the Salim Malik issue was on in 1995 and then this year."

Justice (retd) Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim, who probed Australian allegations against Salim Malik three years ago, said: "Whatever is happening today, vindicates the report I wrote. Let the readers read the document and draw their own conclusion.

Source :: Dawn (https://dawn.com/)