History repeats itself as South African cricket is about to be rocked by another huge match fixing scandal.
A former South African cricketer, who has yet to be named, has been charged with corruption involving match fixing and could face jail time under South African law, reported The Telegraph.
On November 6‚ Cricket South Africa (CSA) said they were conducting an investigation involving an international syndicate, which attempted to corrupt cricket in South Africa.
In December 2015, CSA confirmed that its Anti-Corruption and Security Unit had charged an “intermediary” under its Anti-Corruption Code for contriving to “fix, or otherwise improperly influence” aspects of last year’s Ram Slam T20 Challenge.
The former SA cricketer had also been charged for failing to cooperate with an investigation carried out by anti-corruption officials.
CSA is also investigating a team and other players could face disciplinary actions for failing to report corrupt approaches.
According to investigators from the International Cricket Council’s anti-corruption unit (ACU), the case will be publicized once the Test series against England is completed.
Match-fixers could face a life sentence in South Africa under the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act of 2004. According to the Act, “any person who accepts any offers in return for engaging in any act which creates a threat to any sporting event are guilty of breaking the law.”
Cricket in South Africa was changed forever in 2000 when former SA captain Hansie Cronje was banned for life over a match fixing scandal.
Cronje was proven to have a contact with match fixing syndicates in India and had accepted bribes to ask South African cricketers to deliberately underperform in specific games. The Delhi Police uncovered suspicious tapes between Cronje and an Indian bookie named Sanjay Chawla, recorded during a match between India and South Africa in May 2000.
Cronje died in a plane crash in 2002 but theories emerged that he was murdered by a mafia betting syndicate.
