The former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns has been charged with perjury by the Metropolitan police.
The charge is in relation to a libel case in 2012, when Cairns was successful in suing Lalit Modi, the then Indian Premier League commission, over match-fixing allegations.
Cairns, who recently arrived in London attended a North London police station to receive the charge, which carries with it a maximum sentence in the UK of seven years in prison, will appear at Westminster magistrates’ court on 2 October for an initial hearing at which he will confirm his identity and enter a plea of guilty or not guilty.
A date for the full hearing, which will be heard in the Courts of Justice in London, will also be set although that is not likely to be until at least May 2015.
Cairns will be able to return to New Zealand after the initial hearing on the proviso he returns to the UK for the full hearing next year.
The risk of him absconding is low as there is a full extradition treaty in place between the New Zealand and the UK. He will also be eligible to claim legal aid in the UK to help him with the costs of fighting the case.
Andrew Fitch-Holland, a London barrister, who appeared in the libel case in 2012, has also been charged with one count of perverting the course of justice.
The Crown Prosecution Service in London issued a statement on 12 September confirming the charge.
A spokesman for the CPS said: “We can confirm that we have authorised police to charge Chris Cairns with one count of perjury, which arises from a libel trial held in the UK in March 2012.
“We have also authorised police to charge Andrew Fitch-Holland with one count of perverting the course of justice, which arises from actions taken relating to the same trial. Both suspects will be formally charged by police in due course.”
Separate to the criminal charges, Lalit Modi’s lawyers have begun civil proceedings against Cairns to recover the £90,000 paid in damages and costs following the libel case in 2012.
