Butt and Amir have appeals dismissed

The Lord Chief Justice has rejected the appeals of Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir against their sentences in the spot-fixing case.

The Crown Court had, on November 3, given Butt a two-and-a-half year jail term after finding him guilty of conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments based on orchestrating no-balls against England, at Lord's, in 2010. Amir was given two six-month sentences under the same charges, to run concurrently, and is currently in detention at a young offenders' institute.

Lord Judge, the Lord Chief Justice, called the appeal against Butt's sentence "unarguable" while regarding Amir he said: "This prodigious talent has been lost to cricket for some years. Cricket will be the poorer for it. But he was not so young that he did not appreciate what he was doing.

"The cricketers betrayed their team, their country, the sport that had given them their distinction and all the world followers of the game," Lord Judge said. "The reality is that all the enjoyment of watching cricket will be destroyed if this was allowed to continue."

The defence team for Butt had argued that the sentence was too severe and outlined three types of match fixing: the outcome of the game, passages of play and spot-fixing and argued that Butt was involved in the least severe of the three.

Amir's defence team had argued that his six-month sentence should be downgraded to a suspended term and that he should have been able to walk free.

"Butt was undoubtedly the most involved," said Lord Judge, and a "malign influence". His duty as captain was to "stop" any whiff of corruption. He added that Justice Cooke, who presided over the original case, was fully entitled to call Butt the "orchestrator."

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Butt gets 2 years 6 months in jail, Asif gets 1 year, Amir six months

Salman Butt, his former team-mates and their agent have all been handed jail terms © Associated Press

Salman Butt, the former Pakistan captain, has been sentenced to two years and six months in jail for his role in the spot-fixing case; Mohammad Asif has got a one-year jail sentence and Mohammad Amir six months. Mazhar Majeed, the players' agent, has been sentenced to two years and eight months.

The sentences were handed down in Southwark Crown Court on Thursday morning, bringing the curtains down on one of sport's most sordid and shameful scandals. The sentences are open to appeal - though it is not yet clear whether any of the parties will do so - and can be reduced to half the term for good behaviour.

The incarceration will begin immediately, with the players - who had all come to court with bags - due to be led into prison straight from the courtroom. It seems, in Amir's case, that he will be sent to a young offenders' detention centre instead of jail.

In Lahore, the families of the convicted players were stunned by the sentences. Amir's father said the Pakistan government should have helped his son. His brother Saleem said: "He is a kid, he can't understand things. These six months are a lot for a boy who is immature."

Butt's father Zulfiqar was more aggressive, saying his son was innocent. "Our own friends conspired against us," he said. "You can check our bank balance, we haven't even been able to build our own house."

The judge began proceedings with his summation of the case of each of the four found guilty, reading out their sentences one at a time, and his initial words suggested jail terms for all four guilty.

"Now, when people look back at a surprising event in a game or a surprising result or ever in the future there are surprising results, followers of the game who have paid to watch cricket or who have watched cricket on TV will wonder whether there has been a fix or what they have watched was natural."

"It's clear you were the orchestrator of these matters," Justice Cooke told Butt. "You had to be to make sure these two bowlers were bowling at the time of the fix."

To Asif he said: "Whilst no money was found in your possession, it's clear that you conspired to bowl a no-ball. There's no evidence on your part of prior fixing but it's hard to see that this could have been an isolated incident."

There were frantic scenes in and around courtroom number four on Thursday morning at Southwark Crown Court, as media and members of the public crammed to witness the sentencing.

The guilty entered the court last after a crazy scrummage for seats by media workers and public. Even regular court reporters commented that they had not seen such desperation in court to be present for sentencing of a trial.

Butt and Asif were found guilty of conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments by a jury on Tuesday, while Majeed and Amir pleaded guilty at a pre-trial in September. It all followed the now infamous three pre-determined no-balls that were delivered in the Lord's Test match last year, two by Amir and one by Asif, orchestrated by Butt and arranged by Majeed. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

How the trial unfolded

Early on in the trial, the prosecution had presented details on money found in Salman Butt's room © AFP

Day 1, Tuesday, October 4
Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt arrive early; opening day sees mostly legal arguments between Aftab Jafferjee QC for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Ali Bajwa QC representing Butt and Alexander Milne QC representing Asif. Jury sworn in - six men, six women.

Day 2, Wednesday, October 5
Prosecution begins its opening address to the jury, giving them records of phone and SMS traffic between parties involved. Says case reveals "depressing tale of rampant corruption at the heart of international cricket, with the key players being members of the Pakistan cricket team".

Day 3, Thursday, October 6
Jury shown video footage of no-balls - without sound/commentary, as agreed. Prosecution details money found: Butt's room had cash of £14,003 in one spot, and £15,999 in various denominations in envelopes. There was also US$12,617, 24,300 of UAE dirhams, AUS$710, 26,015 Pakistani rupees, $350 Canadian, 440 South African rand - as well as four mobile phones. No NOTW cash found in Asif's room but £1,500 marked notes in Amir's room. ACSU official tells court illegal betting market is worth around $1 billion annually.

Day 4, Monday, October 10
Court hears recordings of conversations between Mahmood (NOTW journalist) and Majeed, with Majeed making unsubstantiated allegations. Mahmood then says his (fictitious) bosses are interested in making "big money" from gambling - Majeed says he and the Pakistan players he claims to control have made "masses and masses of money". Sky Sports statistician says "one in a 1.5 million chance" of three no-balls occurring at pre-determined times in a Test match.

Day 5, Tuesday, October 11
Court hears, through Majeed's comments captured covertly, that Pakistan cricketers plotted to oust then ODI captain Shahid Afridi from his position by underperforming, in order to promote Test captain Butt to the ODI role as well. Also hears that Majeed was offered $1 million to influence a Pakistan defeat last year at The Oval, a match they eventually won.

Day 6, Wednesday, October 12
Prosecution's key witness, journalist Mazhar Mahmood, questioned by Asif's lawyer on whether phone-hacking had gone on during his covert investigation, says he had no idea.

Day 8, Friday, October 14
Police interview recordings show Butt saying he never requested Asif or Amir to cheat and bowl pre-determined no-balls. Bajwa, Butt's lawyer, sets out the extent of Majeed's financial issues: Majeed held more than 30 bank accounts and had overdrafts worth £704,000.

Day 9, Monday, October 17
Butt, in the witness stand, tells the court he chose not to report Majeed, his agent, to the authorities even when Majeed asked him for tips to fix matches. Says Majeed sent him text messages to help him fix elements of a game against South Africa at the Twenty20 World Cup in 2010. Bajwa says they "concede" a "criminal conspiracy" between Majeed and Amir but his client Butt was not party to it.

Day 10, Tuesday, October 18
Butt accused by the prosecution of lying to the jury on at least two occasions. Once when quizzed on why Azhar Majeed - Mazhar's brother and business partner - was in the hotel room of Pakistan Test debutant Wahab Riaz along with Butt and wicketkeeper Kamram Akmal after midnight during The Oval Test, Butt doubted the written evidence read out to the court from Pakistan team security manager Major Najam. After playing a video of the over in which Asif bowled the no-ball in question, Asif's lawyer Milne accused Butt of pressurising his client.

	Mohammad Asif, in the witness stand, had accused Salman Butt of abusing him © AFP

Day 11, Wednesday, October 19
Prosecution completes Butt cross-examining by concluding he had "been caught". The night before the match began, there were 20 calls or texts between Butt and Majeed, 25 between Amir and Majeed and four between Butt, Asif and Amir. Butt is also interrogated on text messages Majeed sent him during the Oval Test when he was trying to fix by having Butt bat out a maiden over, which he subsequently did not do. Not convinced by Butt's denials at being complicit in Majeed's plans, Jafferjee says: "You are lying your head off to this jury aren't you Mr Butt?"

Day 12, Thursday, October 20
Asif in the witness stand, accuses Butt of abusing him ("run faster f*****, have you slept") before he bowled the second of the three no-balls. Butt's lawyer Ali Bajwa QC suggests Asif is fabricating his story to justify the no-ball. Bajwa also accuses Asif of "untruthfully downplaying" his relationship with the Majeed brothers. Asif denies taking any money for his no-ball or even having any knowledge that other people had "an interest" in his bowling a no-ball. Also denies prosecution suggestion that he had been "sucked into a web of corruption by Butt and Majeed".

Day 13, Friday, October 21
Asif suggests Butt had to have been involved with an alleged fix to bowl no-balls in a Test match but stops short of a definitive accusation. "The captain knows. What I have told you the last two days…the captain knows. He is the one who brings them (bowlers) on."

Day 14, Monday, October 24
Closing speeches begin. Prosecution sets out why the jury should reach a guilty verdict, listing "13 facts that prove guilt". Defence for Butt says there is "no reliable evidence" to convict him.

Day 15, Tuesday, October 25
Asif's lawyer Milne urges jury to "follow the money" - no marked News of the World cash was found in Asif's room during initial police raids on the players' hotel rooms. "If you follow the money, you will find that it does not lead to Mr Asif," Milne says. Justice Cooke begins his summing-up in the afternoon, informs the jury they should take it as an agreed fact that Amir and Majeed were involved in the fix - the first official guidance given to the jury as to the parts played in the case by Majeed and Amir. Judge tells the jury: "You should base your decision on the evidence alone and draw inferences, which I mean by drawing common sense conclusions."

Day 16, Wednesday, October 26
Judge explains to the jury that they needed to consider the fact that Asif had not told the police when under caution last year the reason for his no-ball, which he later gave in court: that Butt had abused him and put him under pressure. Jury asked to consider if this was due to the language barrier or a late invention.

Day 17, Thursday, October 27
Judge completes his summing up of the trial and sends the jury out to make a verdict by midday. The jury are sent home for the day at 4.00pm having failed to reach a quick decision.

Day 18, Friday, October 28
The first full day of the jury's deliberations and they are again sent home at 4.00pm without reaching a verdict. The main action of the day centred on when the jury returned to court to listen to audio recordings of conversations between Majeed and Mahmood, with Butt featuring in both by speaker phone.

Day 19, Monday, October 31
The jury inform the judge they are unable to reach a unanimous verdict, after which the judge asks them for a majority verdict with at least ten of them concurring.

Day 20, Tuesday, November 1
Salman Butt found guilty on both charges - conspiracy to accept corrupt payments and conspiracy to cheat, while Asif is found guilty of conspiracy to cheat, with a hung jury on his second charge.

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Son born to Pakistan's Butt minutes before guilty verdict

LAHORE: Wife of Pakistan's former captain Salman Butt gave birth to a baby boy just minutes before her husband was found guilty Tuesday of a "spot-fixing" betting scam during a match against England.

The 27-year-old's father told AFP by telephone from Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore that the baby was born 30 minutes before the verdict -- news that was splashed immediately all over Pakistani television stations.

"Salman Butt has a baby boy 30 minutes before the verdict came," his father, Zulfiqar Butt, told AFP, without giving the baby's name.

"It's a matter of great grief for us that Butt has been found guilty. We hope the Almighty will bring him out of this trouble because these are very difficult times for him and the family," he added.

It is Butt's first son -- he already has a daughter.

The former Test captain was convicted at Southwark Crown Court of conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments and conspiracy to cheat at gambling, while fast bowler Mohammad Asif was found guilty of conspiracy to cheat.

Prosecutors alleged that they conspired with British agent Mazher Majeed and fast bowler Mohammad Aamer to deliver three intentional no-balls during the Lord's Test between Pakistan and England in August 2010.

The pair were charged after allegations about their involvement in spot-fixing appeared in the now-defunct News of the World tabloid, owned by Australian-born media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, shortly after the Lord's Test.

Butt and Asif, 28, had both pleaded not guilty. —AFP

Butt found guilty on both charges

Salman Butt: guilty © Getty Images

A jury found former Pakistan captain Salman Butt guilty of both charges in the spot-fixing trial, while fast bowler Mohammad Asif was found guilty on one charge, after they took 16 hours and 56 minutes to debate the verdicts.

The judge, Justice Cooke, then retired the jury to deliberate further on the second count against Asif. Both players will remain on bail until sentencing on Thursday and Friday.

Butt and Asif were unanimously found guilty on the charge of 'conspiracy to cheat' and Butt was guilty by a 10-2 majority on the charge of 'conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments' following the Lord's Test in August last year when they allegedly conspired with agent Mazhar Majeed, teenage fast bowler Mohammad Amir and other people unknown to bowl pre-determined no-balls.

Butt, wearing a velvet jacket and shirt without a tie, showed no emotion as the verdicts were read out. He just stared at the jury stony-faced. Asif, wearing a grey winter coat in the dock, was equally unmoved as neither player said a word or made any obvious facial expression.

The jury were unable to reach a verdict on the "accepting corrupt payments' charge in relation to Asif, and Justice Cooke immediately retired them to deliberate some more in case they could reach a verdict on that fourth charge.

Butt and Asif denied the charges. The maximum prison sentence for the acceptance of corrupt payments is seven years in jail, while 'conspiracy to cheat' carries a maximum two-year sentence. Butt's wife is due to have a caesarean section on Tuesday, as they expect a second son.

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© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Butt out for 10 years, Asif 7 and Amir 5

Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir have been banned for 10, 7 and 5 years respectively after an ICC tribunal found them guilty of spot-fixing stemming from the Lord's Test against England last year. The sanctions against Butt and Asif have five and two years suspended, which means that the trio cannot play any official, sanctioned cricket, international or domestic, for a minimum of five years, until September 2015.

In pic: Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt, M Asif, M Amir, K Akmal with bookie Majeed during 2009-10 Australia tour in Sydney. PIC/MiD DAY

The suspended sentences on Butt and Asif have been made conditional on their making no further breaches of the code and participating in an anti-corruption education programme, under the auspices of the PCB.

Butt, who was captain during the series in England, received the maximum sentence but one charge against him - of batting out a maiden over during the Oval Test - was dismissed. However, he was found to have not disclosed an approach by Majeed that he should bat the maiden over. The other charges that were upheld relate to the subsequent Lord's Test, where Amir and Asif were found to have bowled deliberate no-balls and Butt was penalized for being party to that. Amir will appeal against the decision to the Court of Arbitration Sports, but the other two players have not yet said whether they will.

The announcement on Saturday evening followed a day of deliberations in Doha between the three-man tribunal - comprising the head Michael Beloff QC, Sharad Rao and Justice Albie Sachs - the players and their legal teams and the ICC's lawyers. The three players began the day requesting the tribunal for a deferral of any verdict, in light of the statement on Friday by the UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) that the players might also face criminal charges relating to the Lord's Test as the result of a separate investigation carried out by British police. The players, who continued to maintain their innocence, argued that a judgment today by the tribunal could be prejudicial to any criminal trial in the UK, but the request was rejected.

The length of the sentences may be considered surprising to the extent that at least one life ban had been predicted beforehand. Now, in theory, the 26-year-old Butt could return after five years if he complies with the conditions of the verdict. Amir, who will only turn 19 in April, could also conceivably harbour hopes of a return, though in practical terms a five-year gap from any competitive cricket makes the prospect of a return that much more difficult. The situation is most bleak for Asif, who will be 33 by the time the minimum five years are up.

It must also be noted that not until the full judgment is released will the picture become fully clear, especially with regards to the nature of the rehabilitation programme they must undertake and the role the PCB will have in that. The tribunal asked the ICC to publish the full judgment as soon as possible and it is expected to happen tomorrow. The question, however, of whether or not the full judgment may be deemed prejudicial to any criminal proceedings in the UK still looms.

A member of the ICC legal team told ESPNcricinfo that it is "very happy with the fact that the players were convicted." But given that the governing body was pushing for maximum sanctions, there will be at least a tinge of disappointment within the governing body.

The tribunal also recommended that the ICC make "certain changes to the code with a view to providing flexibility in relation to minimum sentences in exceptional circumstances." The lawyers of Butt and Amir later said that the tribunal would've given lower punishments had their hands not "been tied" to the code's range of sanctions.

News of the World, the tabloid that broke the spot-fixing story this summer, released a statement of its own, saying that "it is now clear to everyone in the game that corruption will not be tolerated," and added that it will continue to assist the police in any way it can.

A number of Pakistani fans waited outside the Qatar Financial Centre, some for the entire nine-hour duration of the proceedings, and gave vociferous support to the players when they eventually came out. Amir, in fact, was mobbed and had to return inside the building briefly. -ESPNcricinfo

Pakistan cricketers face prosecution

In pic: The three accused players face life bans, and possible prosecution © Getty Images

The three Pakistan players at the centre of the spot-fixing allegations that rocked the Lord's Test against England last August have been charged by the UK Crown Prosecution Service with conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, and conspiracy to cheat.

Salman Butt, the former Test captain, and seamers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir have been accused of conspiring in the bowling of deliberate no-balls on last year's tour of England - claims they all deny.

Mazhar Majeed, the players' agent, has also been charged, with a first hearing scheduled for City of Westminster Magistrates' Court on March 17. The CPS confirmed that extradition orders would be sought if the three players fail to appear in court.

"We have authorised charges of conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments and also conspiracy to cheat against Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif, Salman Butt and Mazhar Majeed," Simon Clements, Head of the CPS Special Crime Division, said.

"We have decided that Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif, Salman Butt and their agent, Mazhar Majeed, should be charged with conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments and also conspiracy to cheat. These charges relate to allegations that Mr Majeed accepted money from a third party to arrange for the players to bowl 'no balls' on 26 and 27 August 2010, during Pakistan's Fourth Test at Lord's Cricket Ground in London."

The CPS confirmed its findings in an announcement shortly after 11 a.m. GMT on Friday, and the trio could be banned for life when an International Cricket Council (ICC) tribunal announces the conclusions of its own investigation in Doha on Saturday. A CPS spokesperson said there was no connection between the two timings.

"Summonses for the same court date [March 17] have been issued for the three players and they have been asked to return to this country voluntarily, as they agreed to do in September last year. Their extradition will be sought should they fail to return."

In August 2010, Britain's News of the World tabloid conducted a newspaper 'sting operation' which it said proved the Pakistan trio's willingness were involved in the deliberate bowling of no-balls during the Lord's Test against England.

This, the paper said, was evidence of a spot-betting scam where money can be gambled on specific incidents in a match without the need to 'fix' the result.

All the Pakistan trio were interviewed by police. So too was Majeed, whom the newspaper alleged accepted £50,000 to set up the deal. Majeed was arrested, and a third fast bowler, Wahab Riaz, was also interviewed under caution.

While the ICC, which heard evidence from Butt, Asif and Amir during a hearing in Doha last month, has to consider whether its rules were broken and what, if any, punishment should follow if they were, the CPS has decided that the players have a case to answer under English law.

"The Crown Prosecution Service has been working closely with the Metropolitan Police Service since the allegations of match-fixing became public on 29 August 2010," continued the statement. "We received a full file of evidence on 7 December 2010 and we are satisfied there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and it is in the public interest to prosecute. -ESPNcricinfo

"I would remind everyone that these men are entitled to a fair trial and should be regarded as innocent of these charges unless it is proven otherwise in court. The International Cricket Council tribunal is due to announce its decision tomorrow, but criminal proceedings are active now. It is extremely important that nothing should be reported which could prejudice the trial."

Obtaining and accepting corrupt payments can result in a seven-year sentence and unlimited fine. The maximum sentence for cheating is two years.

ICC clears Kamran Akmal for selection

Pakistan: Espncricinfo Nov 17

Kamran Akmal has been told by the ICC that he is clear to seek Pakistan selection. Kamran, Pakistan's first-choice wicketkeeper-batsman, has not played since the one-day series against England in September. He wasn't selected for the current series against South Africa, ostensibly because he wasn't fit when the squad was announced; he had undergone an appendicitis operation days before the announcement. But clouds of suspicion, the fall-out of the spot-fixing scandal, have swirled around his non-selection.

Kamran has recovered and has been playing domestic cricket for his employers National Bank of Pakistan. Tellingly, however, the selectors chose to call up his brother, Adnan Akmal, as the wicketkeeper when Zulqarnain Haider fled to England from Dubai halfway during the series against South Africa.

The PCB has not made any statement on why Kamran was left out, though his particularly poor performance with the gloves - especially in Tests - suggests his exclusion might have been on form alone. But in the absence of any clear communication, Kamran, a vital part of Pakistan's limited-overs set-up where he doubles as a hard-hitting opener, was compelled to contact the ICC midway during the South Africa one-day series. ESPNcricinfo understands that Kamran broadly asked whether he was facing any charges linked to spot-fixing that might be blocking his selection. He was informed soon after by the world's governing body that he wasn't and that he is clear for selection.

Kamran was one of two Pakistan players - the other was Salman Butt - sent notices by the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit (ACSU) after the Nottingham Test against England this summer. The notices sought information about events related to the 2010 World Twenty20 held in the Caribbean in May. It is not yet clear whether Kamran's enquiry and the ICC's response are linked to these notices.

Since the spot-fixing scandal, the PCB has begun implementing a rash of measures designed to eliminate corrupt influences from the game in Pakistan. As part of an unofficial confidence-building measure, the board will send a list of probables for the 2011 World Cup to the ACSU to be vetted before the pool of 30 is announced on November 30.

Additionally, the board's newly formed integrity committee will also clear players for selection. Danish Kaneria, who was embroiled but eventually cleared in a separate spot-fixing case with his county Essex in the summer, was not cleared by the committee to join the Test side in the UAE. Kaneria, Pakistan's leading spin wicket-taker, was originally selected in the squad, but was prevented from travelling by the board at the very last minute. No official reason has been provided for his exclusion.