Butt jailed for 30 months, Asif 12 months, Amir 6 months

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Hussain
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A British judge jailed disgraced former Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt, two of his bowlers and their agent Thursday for their part in a Test match-fixing scandal which rocked the international game.
Butt, 27, looked aghast as he was sentenced to 30 months in prison at London’s Southwark Crown Court, where he and fast bowler Mohammad Asif were found guilty on Tuesday of fixing parts of a Test match against England in August 2010.
Asif, 28, was jailed for a year, while 19-year-old bowler Mohammad Aamer, who had pleaded guilty to involvement in the scam to pre-arrange no-balls for shadowy South Asian betting rings, was sentenced to six months.
Corrupt British agent Mazhar Majeed, 36, who had also pleaded guilty but had denied he had initiated the scam, was given two years and eight months.
“These offences, regardless of pleas, are so serious that only a sentence of imprisonment will suffice,” Judge Jeremy Cooke told the four men, adding that they would each serve half their sentences and then be released on licence.
He said the three players were motivated by greed despite the large amounts of money they could earn legitimately, and said he hoped the tough sentences would deter future cricketers from following their example.
The judge also condemned the effect their actions had on the game of cricket “the very name of which used to be associated with fair dealing”.
“It’s the insidious effect of your actions on professional cricket… which make the offences so serious,” he told the court.
Cooke said people had regarded the three players as “heroes”, but they “procured the bowling of three no-balls for money to the detriment of your national cricket team”.
“Now, whenever people look back on a surprising event in a game or a surprising result or whenever, in the future, there are surprising events or results, followers of the game who paid good money… will be led to wonder whether there has been a fix,” he said.
“What was to be honest, sporting competition may not be such at all.
“In Pakistan, where cricket is the national sport, the ordinary follower of the national team feels betrayed by your activities.
“You, Butt, Asif and Aamer have let down all your supporters and followers of the game.”
The world of cricket has reacted with dismay to the worst fixing scandal since South Africa captain Hanse Cronje in 2000, but welcomed the convictions as a way of sending an important message that cheats would not be tolerated.
The ICC has already banned Butt for 10 years with five suspended, Asif for seven years with two suspended, and Aamer for five years straight after finding them guilty of corruption in February. They are all appealing the bans.
The scam was uncovered by the now-defunct News of the World, the tabloid owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch and shut down in July over a scandal involving its journalists’ role in the illegal hacking of voicemails.
At a hearing on Wednesday, lawyers for all the defendants had exchanged claims and counter-allegations in a bid to reduce their clients’ sentences, which could have seen them jailed for a maximum of seven years.
Majeed claimed that the extent of the corruption in the Pakistan team went beyond the current case.
The agent’s lawyer said he had paid out £65,000 to Asif, £10,000 to Butt and £2,500 to Aamer, explaining that the larger amount was paid to Asif to ensure he did not switch to another fixing racket.
Lawyers for Butt and Asif had dismissed the claims about the cash.
In a statement read to the court, Aamer claimed he had feared for his future in the national side if he did not get involved, but said: “I want to apologise to Pakistan and to everyone that cricket is important to.
“I do know how much damage this has done to the game, the game which I love as well, more than anything else in the world.”

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44 COMMENTS

  3. shame on u all ppl… how UK govenment decided to punished our player who the hell are they…. where is our system to punish them…. ur all sick and useless ppl

    • We are GREAT BRITAIN and not corrupt Pakistan. Look at you people you have no shame you have a leader who is the most corrup person on the face of this earth, your cricketers are corrupt and the list can go on and on. SHAME on you!!!

  15. hese all rubbish… our great crickter Wasim Akram was or may be still big fixer alongwith his bro .. they never be caught and also match fixing never be out of the game…. even austrailia players are fixer… if we have bloody govenrment so always we will face such things with our ppl… shame on our judiciary and courts and all the judges including zardari and all government

  22. And Maleeha.. They Confessed.. In the end everyone of them did.. Not a conspiracy.. and Mr Saud.. Fortunately or Unfortunately, they don’t have Diplomatic Immunity.. They committed a crime there.. they’d serve it there..

  24. i guess no one looked upon Y mazhar majeed prepared those vdos …. if he was a real booki he’d have neva done tat….. it means he was financed to do so….. Question is who financed him?

  27. I have been following this news right from the inception. It was highly likely that the three cricketers and their agent would have received custodial sentences. There was however only a slim chance and I repeat a very slim chance that they could have been acquitted. This is not the case now.

    I was heartened with the comments appearing on Pakistan Today yesterday. Such is the strength of the Pakistani nation that not a single individual has doubted the process.

    PEOPLE IN PAKISTANMUST REMBER THAT THESE WERE INDIVISUAL ACTS FO RWHICH INDIVIDUAL SHAV EBEEN PUNISHED.

    Just was not only delivered here but it was seen to be delivered. This was in quite contrast to how high ranking government officers go in to cahoots with politicians to save the individuals from a just legal process. Recent case of Mr Illhai junior is one such example.

  28. I have been following this news right from the inception. It was highly likely that the three cricketers and their agent would have received custodial sentences. There was however only a slim chance and I repeat a very slim chance that they could have been acquitted. This is not the case now.

    I was heartened with the comments appearing on Pakistan Today yesterday. Such is the strength of the Pakistani nation that not a single individual has doubted the process.

    PEOPLE IN PAKISTAN MUST REMBER THAT THESE WERE INDIVISUAL ACTS FOR WHICH INDIVIDUAL SHAV EBEEN PUNISHED.

    Justice was not only delivered but it was seen to be delivered. This was in quite contrast to how high ranking government officers in Pakistan go in to cahoots with politicians to save the individuals from a just legal process. Recent case of Mr Illhai junior is one such example.

  30. ….Mazhar Mahmood – the hero and saviour of pakistan cricket! Thank you…..a turning point perhap??

  31. Just to point out, since it won't be obvious to anyone outside the UK, there is automatic 50% time off for good behaviour in all custodial sentences. So sentence of 30 months will mean (assuming they don't cause trouble in prison obviously) 15 months in jail + 15 months released "on licence". Since they are foreign nationals I assume they would be able to leave the UK after the custodial portion of the sentence.

  34. They should have taken advice from Zardari's wakeel. I mean look how much corruption he's done and has got away with it.

  35. amir is innocent bcoz he is very younger in international cricket but 30 month of sentence is not enough for salman he is imprisoned 4 life behind the bar and banned internationally cricket and entry in UK in future.

  37. dont forget… when they come back after completing their sentences, welcome them with rotten eggs…. they should know that our nation doesn't want corruption at any level in any field… that's why we have now come out in the streets…

  38. They deserve even worst.they put down the image they should. Not allow to enter pakistab even after their punishment..

  39. These cricketers should be treated like traitors. Plus the comments of crown prosecuting service, about PCB and the confirmed relations of its very senior tour management officials with infamous match fixer Mazhar Majeed, must be investigated by a Supreme Court judge, to weed out black sheeps once for all from PCB as well.

    In my opinion its a fit case for suo moto action by the superior judiciary, because the name of Pakistan has been very badly tarnished, by the former PCB officials, in connivance with match fixers and players.

    No way players can be involved in crimes of such magnitude in isolation and without the connivance of PCB tour management.

    • Root analysis;
      you are right Nayyar Pakistani judiciary should take action immediately before it another case will open in out of ‘Pak-boundaries.

  40. According to the Laws of Britain.. they deserve it…
    if the same thing happened in Pakistan… then this punishment wud be cruelty… BCOZ Pakistan Law have no punishment for cheating, or corruption, or stealing.. basically there is no punishment for anything in Pakistan.. its a FREE COUNTRY… DO WHATEVER U WANT… nobody will question u 🙂

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