DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) Wednesday announced a 15-day amnesty from January 16-31 for those officials in Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) who failed to report any information concerning corrupt conduct previously to the apex governing body. The amnesty will apply to all participants under both the ICC and Sri Lankan Cricket Anti-Corruption codes.
Under these codes, both domestic and international participants are obliged to report, without delay, full details of any approaches, incident or information that they receive to engage in corrupt conduct. Failure to do so is a serious offence and can result in a ban from cricket of up to five years. However, under the amnesty, any information reported by a participant will not attract a charge for their failure to report previously.
Once again, the development puts the spotlight back on former Sri Lankan cricketers Sanath Jayasuriya, Nuwan Zoysa and Dilhara Lokuhettige who were charged by the ICC last year at various junctures for failing to report any form of corrupt activity.
Jayasuriya has also been a chief national selector post his retirement. His name was taken in Al Jazeera’s documentary ‘Cricket’s Match Fixers’ which exposed malpractices in Sri Lanka.
Zoysa was the bowling coach of the Sri Lankan team a few months ago. Lokuhettige, on the other hand, participated in the T10 League in the UAE.
ICC GM (Anti-Corruption Unit) Alex Marshall said: “This is the first time the ICC has held an amnesty and it is in response to the very specific challenges we face in Sri Lanka. Allowing retrospective reporting of alleged approaches to engage in corrupt conduct will assist in our ongoing and wide-ranging investigations, as well as enabling us to continue to develop a comprehensive picture of the situation there.
“If any player or participant has any information concerning corrupt conduct they should come forward and share it with us now without fear of any repercussions.
“We would urge any participant with any information that may demonstrate corrupt conduct affecting cricket in Sri Lanka to come forward in the strictest of confidence.”
Reports can be made 24 hours a day in a number of ways through the way ICC Integrity App or the ACU Hotline number. The ICC has also stationed an ACU representative based in Sri Lanka throughout the duration of the amnesty.
