ICC publishes edited version of spot-fixing ruling

DUBAI: The ICC has published on its website an edited and encrypted 102-page version of the final determination of the independent tribunal that handed out its verdict on February 5 after the spot-fixing hearings in Doha. However, in light of the Crown Prosecution Service's recent decision to pursue criminal charges against the three banned players - Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif - the judgement will not be available to readers in England and Wales. To others, the version available online is in a read-only format and will be available for a period of only seven days. "It is the ICC's intention to be as transparent an organisation as is feasible and to publish all its reports and findings for the benefit of stakeholders," ICC chief Haroon Lorgat said. "Publishing the full written determination of the tribunal is clearly in the best interest of cricket." The tribunal, too, had recommended a full disclosure However, their hands have been forced by legal considerations. The determination came with a clear warning, prohibiting the publication or dissemination of the determination within England and Wales. It also laid out that any attempt to access it from within England and Wales would be deemed unlawful, and could invite legal action.