The International Cricket Council (ICC) will work more closely with Interpol as part of ongoing efforts to combat corruption in the sport, the governing body said on Wednesday. Alex Marshall, the general manager of ICC’s anti-corruption unit, met Interpol officials in Lyon last week to seek closer working relations, it added. “The ICC has an excellent relationship with law enforcement agencies in a number of countries but working with Interpol means we are connecting with their 194 members,” Marshall said in a statement.
“Our focus is on education of players and prevention and disruption of corruptors. Where our enquiries reveal criminal offences have been committed, we will refer this to the relevant law enforcement organisations and this makes Interpol an important partner for us.” Cricket has suffered a series of corruption cases in recent years. In 2011, Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were found guilty of taking bribes to fix part of a Test match against England in a case that prosecutors said revealed rampant corruption at the heart of international cricket.
Earlier this year, the ICC had granted Sri Lankan cricketers a 15-day amnesty to report previously undisclosed information relating to corruption in the sport. It was followed by former captain and chairman of selectors Sanath Jayasuriya being handed a two-year ban for refusing to cooperate with any investigation conducted by its anti-corruption unit.