WICB Agrees to Match Fixing Investigation
In an effort to bring closure to the issue of match-fixing allegations against Brian Lara, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has appointed eminent Barbadian lawyer, Elliott D
Derrick Nicholas
12-Apr-2001
In an effort to bring closure to the issue of match-fixing
allegations against Brian Lara, the West Indies Cricket Board
(WICB) has appointed eminent Barbadian lawyer, Elliott D. Mottley
Q.C to conduct an independent investigation into certain
allegations made against Mr Lara.
WICB President, Pat Rousseau made this announcement following a
meeting of the Board held in Antigua yesterday (Wednesday April
11).
Mr. Rousseau said that the WICB,s legal counsel, Justin Simon had
represented the WICB at an ICC meeting in Australia on the
allegations but no new evidence had been presented. Mr Rousseau
added that while the allegations were still unsubstantiated, Mr.
Lara had not yet been officially cleared on the matter.
Mr. Simon had recommended that the only way to have the matter
settled officially would be to arrange for an independent
investigation as had been done by other Cricket Boards whose
players had been accused of match-fixing.
Mr. Lara has advised the WICB of his complete support for the
initiative being taken by the WICB to officially clear his name
and has reiterated that the allegations are without foundation.
Mr. Rousseau noted that the WICB was very pleased to be able to
procure the services of one of the most outstanding lawyers in
the region, Elliott Mottley. Mr. Mottley is a former
Attorney-General of Bermuda and a past President of the
Organisation of the Caribbean Bar Associations and the Barbados
Bar Association. He currently serves as the Chairman of the
Disciplinary Committee of the Barbados Bar Association and is a
member of the Board of Directors of the International Committee
for the Reform of Criminal Law.
The WICB President said that Mr. Mottley would set his own
timetable for the investigation. For the purpose of the
investigation the term "match-fixing" includes:
Instances where an individual player or a group of players
receives money individually or collectively to under-perform;
Instances where a player places bets in matches in which he plays
with the intention of under-performing or having other players
under-perform;
Instances where a player passes on information about team
composition, team morale, pitch condition, weather conditions and
probable result etc. for monetary gain.