King’s report casts doubts on testimonies

Several players on the team told the commission Cronje had conveyed to them a bookmaker’s offer in 1996 of up to $350,000 to lose a One-Day game against India.

Players Herschelle Gibbs and Henry Williams told the commission Cronje had relayed to them separate offers of money if the cricketers would underperform in matches. They said they accepted, but later reneged on the deals.

Cronje has adamantly denied ever throwing a match, but the interim report implied the commission had doubts about Cronje’ truthfulness.

The commission, headed by retired Judge Edwin King, made recommendations on Cronje’s fate or how the game should be cleaned up, saying it was saving those recommendations for its final report.

“It will be appreciated that until all the evidence has been heard, no aspect of the inquiry can be … regarded as finalised,” King wrote in the 66-page report, which was published on the Internet.

The report mainly summarises the testimony given to the commission in public hearings in June. More hearings are scheduled to begin on October 2.

The commission can recommend that Cronje be given immunity from criminal prosecution if he is found to have come clean about his shady deals.

In his testimony, Cronje claimed he had deceived bookmaker Sanjay Chawla when he said he was prepared to lose a game during a series played earlier this year.

King cast doubt on whether Cronje was being honest.

“It was apparent to Cronje from his first meeting with Sanjay that merely supplying him with information would not be sufficient for Sanjay who wanted Cronje to lose matches and to get other players to assist him in this,” King wrote.

“In fact, Sanjay said he needed a match where there was artainty of South Africa losing. Sanjay told Cronje there would be a further sum of money coming to Cronje if he could give Sanjay the `right’ result,” King continued. “These facts are reiterated with the thought that they are not readily reconcilable with the notion of Cronje spinning Sanjay along.”

Elsewhere in the report he wrote: “It is interesting that the first time Cronje was approached to fix a match, he was prepared to, and did, entertain the suggestion.”

King also disputed the accuracy of testimony given to the commission by Johannesburg businessman Hamid Cassim, who claims he acted as an intermediary between Cronje and Chawla, and was no party to illicit deals.

“It would also appear that Cassim was more closely connected to Sanjay’s betting activities than he, Cassim, is prepared to admit,” King wrote. “Cronje opined that Cassim knew that Sanjay was putting money on matches and that he knew that Cronje was going to try and assist him.”