Mazhar Majeed, the players’ agent, came out with a series of astonishing disclosures at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday. Majeed, sitting in the dock next to co-conspirators Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, sought sympathy of the judge through revealing as much of his involvement as possible to limit the length of his sentence having pleaded guilty at a pre-trial in September. Majeed’s lawyer Mark Milliken-Smith QC said he was first introduced to talk about fixing by Salman Butt over dinner during the 2009 World Twenty20 in England, reported Cricinfo.
The barristers for Butt and Asif each requested that this new information be banned from release by the media, but the judge allowed it to be published but on the understanding that both Asif and Butt’s legal team’s denied these new claims. Justice Cooke also dismissed claims that Amir was only involved in one episode of spot-fixing. Aamer claimed he was being leant upon and feared for his future in national side if he did not take part in the conspiracy. “I refuse to accept that basis of plea on the material I have seen,” Cooke said. “There are certainly texts and the like which suggest that Aamer’s first and only involvement was not limited to Lord’s, it was not an isolated and one-off event,” Cooke said. Milliken-Smith addressed Justice Cooke post-lunch, after reporting restrictions were lifted regarding Majeed’s involvement as a fixer in the spot-fixing scandal.
Milliken-Smith told the judge: “Majeed was having dinner with Butt during the World Twenty20 World in England. When having dinner Butt raised the subject, out of frustration, that other players were at it and gave examples of ownership of houses in Pakistan.
“How can X and Y players have these houses when they don’t earn the same amount of money according to their PCB contract,” Milliken-Smith went on, speaking on the behalf of Majeed. “He told Majeed that he could even tell when players were doing it during matches. Majeed was then shocked although he knew there were rumours pervading for some time that some players he knew were doing it.”
No more was said then, but Majeed went out to see Pakistan during their Australian tour in January 2010. Majeed had lunch with Butt and another player and Butt again raised the subject of fixing. The other player questioned Butt whether Majeed could be trusted.
The same people met again in the West Indies during the 2010 World Twenty20 and during the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, but Milliken-Smith said no fixing occurred here and they all agreed to set up some fixes for the England tour. Majeed visited Pakistan for the first time in 18 years to visit family and also to see players. He met with PCB officials for business reasons but also met again with Butt and the same other player, whom Milliken-Smith did not name. In Pakistan they agreed that they needed to recruit “a couple more players” into the fix. The lawyer added, of Majeed’s sentiments: “Nothing I say now can detract from the shame and regret that he feels in admitting his involvement.
“He knows that he must be punished for what he has done…It took courage and remorse for Majeed to plead guilty. We hope that Majeed attracts the full credit for pleading guilty at the first opportunity.
Majeed had pleaded guilty in the spot-fixing case before the trial started but that fact could not be reported till today due to court restrictions. Butt, Amir and Asif were exposed by the now defunct British tabloid the News of the World in an undercover sting operation. Majeed, their former agent, was recorded by a secret camera claiming to have bribed Pakistan bowlers Amir and Asif to bowl no-balls. In court Wednesday, prosecutor Aftab Jafferjee applied for a compensation order to repay the £150,000 ($240,000, 175,000 euros) that an undercover reporter from the now-defunct News of the World tabloid gave to Majeed.
