Former Sri Lanka Captain Sanath Jayasuriya has responded to being charged with two counts of breaching the ICC’s anti-corruption code with a statement to the media.
Sanath Jayasuriya charged under ICC Anti-Corruption Code
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has charged …
In a release made via email to the media, Jayasuriya made it clear that he cannot comment on the charges themselves but wished to reiterate that they were not “pertaining to match fixing, pitch fixing or any other similar corrupt activity.”
The charges relate to Jayasuriya’s failure or refusal to cooperate with an Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) and have been laid following more than a year of ACU focus on Sri Lanka’s 2017 ODI series against Zimbabwe.
The statement in full is as follows:
I am in receipt of a letter dated 15th of October 2018 signed by Iain Higgins, General Counsel of the Anti Corruption Unit (ACU) of the International Cricket Council (ICC). The said letter contains the following charges against me purportedly based on a finding made by the ICC Anti corruption Committee;
- Article 2.4.6 – Failure or refusal, without compelling justification, to cooperate with any investigation carried out by the ACU, including failure to provide accurately and completely any information and/or documentation requested by the ACU as part of such investigation.
- Article 2.4.7 – Obstructing or delaying any investigation that may be carried out by the ACU, including concealing, tampering with or destroying any documentation or other information that may be relevant to that investigation and/or that may be evidence or may lead to the discovery of evidence of corrupt conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code.
The contents of the above letter which has been released to the media has caused a lot of speculation among the cricket loving public both domestically and internationally.
Unfortunately, I am not in a position to release any comments at this moment as I am initially required to submit my response within 14 days. I am under strict legal advise that no comment is to be made in respect of the above charges as such a course would offend the ICC Rules.
My legal team is in the process of drafting my response and I would make a further release upon the submission of the said response.
However, I am under advise to state that the above charges do not contain any allegations pertaining to match fixing, pitch fixing or any other similar corrupt activity. The charges allege that I have not been cooperative and not assisted their investigations.
I have always conducted myself with integrity and transparency with matters concerning the sport and I will continue to do so.
Sanath Jayasuriya
