Sport | Cricket
Indian police says Gibbs free to play in Champions Trophy
South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs will be free to play in the ICC Champions Trophy after being questioned over his involvement in a six-year-old match-fixing scandal.
- Agencies
- Published: 23:34 May 3, 2009
- South African cricketer Herschelle Gibbs (right) arrives at police headquarters in New Delhi, India.
- Image Credit: AP
New Delhi: South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs will be free to play in the ICC Champions Trophy after being questioned over his involvement in a six-year-old match-fixing scandal.
But Indian police have not ruled out recalling him for more questioning.
Gibbs was questioned by police in New Delhi yesterday over his role in the 2000 match-fixing scandal. However interrogators have admitted that they do not have sufficient evidence against Gibbs to arrest him, although he is an accused in the case.
Ranjit Narayan, joint commissioner of police, told reporters: "We need more evidence. He can play in the ICC Champions Trophy."
Gibbs has previously admitted accepting $15,000 (Dh55,000) to score fewer than 20 runs against India in a limited-overs international.
He subsequently scored 74 in the match.
Narayan admitted at a news conference that they had no intention to further interrupt the batsman's preparation for the ICC Champions Trophy.
"As the investigations move forward we have already told him he might be needed again," said Narayan.
"His lawyers agreed that in case he is needed again, he would come so that the legal process can move forward."
Gibbs, 32, was fined by the South African cricket board after admitting he had agreed to underperform on the tour of India following an offer relayed to him by Cronje. Cronje was subsequently banned from the game and died in a plane crash in June 2002.
Gibbs has declined to tour India since the scandal broke over fears he may be detained.
However, no case can be made out against him.
His legal representative Peter Whelon accompanied Gibbs and they went through the motions of being asked routine questions.
Gibbs is accused in the First Information Report (FIR), filed by Indian police under charges of cheating, fraud and criminal conspiracy along with Cronje and fellow South Africans Nicky Boje, Pieter Strydom and Henry Williams. Despite their failure to make headway in the investigation, Delhi Police have refused to close the case that has been hanging fire all these years.
When the match fixing case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at that time, former solicitor general Harish Salve had stoutly maintained that no penal offence could be made out against the accused.
Neither bribery nor attempts to fix a match constitute offences under the Indian Penal Code and Delhi High Court judge MSA Siddique brought this to light in April 2002 while granting interim bail to Kishen Kumar, one of the main accused.
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