A LAWYER for one of the Indian cricketers accused of accepting tens of thousands of dollars for spot-fixing said on Wednesday (May 22) that police were seeking to tarnish her client’s reputation.
Rebecca John said police involved in the corruption probe were “deliberately planting leaks” in the media against her client, Test bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth.
John’s comments came a day after Sreesanth, who has played 27 Tests for India, and his two teammates from the Rajasthan Royals were refused bail following their court appearance over the scandal.
All three were arrested on May 16 and are accused of deliberately bowling badly after striking deals with bookmakers during the ongoing Indian Premier League, a Twenty20 competition.
Sreesanth, who is the best-known of the players, declared his innocence and insisted his name would be cleared.
“I am innocent and have done no wrong. I have never indulged in any spot-fixing and I have always played cricket in the spirit of the game,” the 30-year-old said in a statement late on Tuesday (May 21).
“I have utmost faith in our judicial process and I am confident that with time, I will be proved innocent and my honour and dignity will be vindicated and restored.”
Sreesanth is alleged to have been paid four million rupees (about $75,000/£49,797.94) to give away 14 runs in an over in a match against Kings XI Punjab on May 9.
His teammates – uncapped bowlers Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan – allegedly agreed to similar deals in two other IPL matches, police said.
Police behind the arrests of the cricketers have alleged the trio were acting under orders from international crime syndicates, whose bosses are based in the Gulf.
Spot-fixing is an illegal activity in which a specific part of a game, but not the outcome, is fixed.
Eleven bookmakers who were arrested at the same time as the Rajasthan Royals players have also been refused bail.
The scandal widened on Tuesday when police in Mumbai arrested a small-time Bollywood actor as part of their investigation into the alleged spot-fixing, which has caused outrage among fans in the cricket-mad nation.
On Wednesday police raided the residence of the actor, Vindu Dara Singh Randhawa, in an upscale Mumbai suburb.
His family denied the actor was involved in the scandal.
“He may have been friendly to some people but he is innocent. We stand by him. He is a very decent man and well loved,” his wife Dina Umrova told the NDTV network.
