Tainted Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf hit out at the BCCI for imposing a five-year ban on him for corruption, saying that the Indian Board did not have any evidence to pronounce him guilty. Rauf, 59, who was part of the ICC's elite panel and officiated in Test matches, was accused of accepting expensive gifts from bookies besides placing bets on Indian Premier League matches in the 2013 edition.
“What authority does the BCCI or IPL have to ban me when the court in Mumbai told the police they had no evidence against me?” Rauf asked. The ban means that Rauf, who served for 13 years as a top international umpire, is barred from umpiring or being associated with any BCCI-related activity.
“The BCCI and IPL appointed an investigation commissioner and they claimed I fled from India without completing my IPL assignment which is not true. I completed all my assignments and left India in fact one day after my assignments ended,” Rauf claimed.
Rauf claimed that the police investigation had found nothing against him. “The court said Rauf earns more than 3 million rupees a month so accepting small gifts like jeans, T-shirts or caps is not a big issue,” Rauf claimed. Rauf said he would be sending a notice to the BCCI and IPL through his lawyer and will sue them for the ban which has tarnished his reputation and image. “The BCCI or IPL is no authority to ban me. Even if the Pakistan Cricket Board is not willing to take up my case, I will do it through my lawyer,” he said.
The BCCI committee, after considering the report of the Commissioner of Enquiry and the written statement of Rauf has found the Pakistani guilty of "misconduct and corruption within the meaning of Article 2.2.2, 2.3.2, 2.3.3 and 2.4.1 of the BCCI Anti Corruption Code".
Rauf was also found guilty of "disclosing Inside Information to any person (with or without Reward) before or during any Match or Event where the Participant might reasonably be expected to know that disclosure of such information in such circumstances could be used in relation to Betting". Rauf's ban ends the Board's disciplinary proceedings pertaining to the 2013 scandal and subsequent allegations of corruption.
Last month, Haryana off-spinner Ajit Chandila was slapped with a life ban for his involvement in the 2013 IPL spot- fixing scandal, while Mumbai batsman Hiken Shah was handed a five-year suspension for making a corrupt approach to a fellow player.
