Pakistan Cricket: Banned Trio of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Asif-c1993 gets Legal Aid
In the latest news regarding http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755’s banned trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, it has been reported that the trio has received legal aid to fight their case in a British court. The legal aid has been provided by the legal aid services
commission of the United Kingdom after a formal request by the three cricketers.
The trio along with their agent http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mazhar-c75448 Majeed have been charged with defrauding bookies in the United Kingdom by taking bribes to alter the outcome of a match. These charges have been levelled against them by the Crown Prosecutor’s Service (CPS).
Speaking on the matter, a spokesperson of the legal aid commission said, “Although the accused trio are foreign nationals they are being charged in an English court of law so they can apply for legal aid.”
Giving an insight to the whole matter, the partner at Saracens solicitors, Nishtar http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Saleem-c88077 explained that since the players are facing serious charges that can land them behind bars in England, they deserve the right to acquire legal aid.
The hearing is set to take place on 20 May, 2011 at the Southwark Crown court. According to reports, Asif has already reached http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013, while Amir is still awaiting his visa. Meanwhile, Butt will not be attending the hearing as he has been advised by his
lawyer http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Yasin-Yonus-Patel-c98237 to stay back in Pakistan.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made it clear that it will not be providing any financial assistance to the players regarding the expenses of their trial as rules of the International Cricket Council bar member boards from doing so.
Keeping this in mind the players were left with no other option but to seek legal aid from England.
If the players are convicted they could face jail time in the United Kingdom for up to seven-years or may have to pay heavy fines.
Currently the trio is facing a ban from playing any form of cricket by the ICC, after they were convicted in an http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 anti-corruption hearing of taking bribes to deliberately bowl no-balls during the Lord’s Test in England in the summer of 2010.
Butt has been banned for 10-years, Asif for seven and Amir for five-years. Asif has revealed that he has challenged his ban in the Court of Arbitration for Sports. The pacer has pledged to resume his cricket career after getting his name cleared from the
charges of spot-fixing.
During the period of their ban the players can work as commentators and experts on television channels but cannot play any cricket event sponsored by the ICC or its member cricket boards.
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