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ST
JOHN’S—West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels has
been found guilty of violating International Cricket Council
rules over his connections with an Indian bookmaker and
is poised to be slapped with a two-year ban.
The West Indies Cricket Board said in a press release Monday
that their Disciplinary Committee found by “majority
opinion” at a hearing Friday that Samuels was guilty
of violating the ICC Rules of Conduct 4 (ix) in that he
“received money, benefit or other reward which could
bring him or the game of cricket into disrepute”.
This violation carries a minimum two-year ban, effective
from May 9, the date of the hearing, but the panel has written
to the WICB president Dr Julian Hunte suggesting their punishment
should not be so harsh, given very favourable affidavits
submitted by reputable persons about the Jamaican’s
character.
Suggesting that a suspended sentence would be a more appropriate
action, the panel of chairman, Mr Justice Adrian Saunders,
Dr Lloyd Barnett, Professor Aubrey Bishop and Mr Richie
Richardson, expressed concern about the propriety of prescribing
mandatory minimum punishments generally and particularly
for the specific offence with which Samuels was charged.
“Given
the circumstances that attended Mr Samuels’ commission
of the offence and in light of the unchallenged evidence
we received as to Mr Samuels’ character, if we had
the power so to recommend, we would have recommended that
Mr Samuels be bound over to be of good behaviour for a period
not exceeding two years,” the WICB quoted the panel
as stating.
The WICB release said the committee dismissed a second charge
that “Mr Samuels engaged in conduct which, in the opinion
of the Executive Board, relates directly or indirectly to
the Rules of Conduct i.e. (i) to (xiii) and is prejudicial
to the interests of the game of cricket.”
The hearing came about after the ICC, the sport’s world
governing body, instructed the WICB to launch its own investigation
into the alleged connections with the bookie, which were
raised by Indian police on West Indies’ tour of India
in February 2007.
After receiving a report from its Anti-corruption &
Security Unit, the ICC said that the report contained allegations
that Samuels indulged in “inappropriate activity”
and behaved in a manner that was “prejudicial to the
interests of the game of cricket.”
Phone conversations between Samuels and alleged Indian bookie
Mukesh Kochchar were taped by the Nagpur police on the eve
of the One-day International between India and West Indies
on January 21, 2007.
Samuels had denied any wrongdoing but following an internal
WICB investigation into bribery allegations, the regional
cricket body found there was enough evidence to charge him
with misconduct.
The panel has promised that reasoned written decisions will
follow shortly.
In the meantime, the decision and recommendations of the
panel have been sent to the ICC, which reserves the right
to reopen the case.
According to ICC rules, there is no appeal allowed over
a ruling on this matter.
Samuels, who made his Test debut as a 19-year-old against
Australia in Adelaide in December 2000, has played 29 Test
matches and 107 One Day Internationals for the West Indies.
(CMC)
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