Mumbai police last week presented a chargesheet alleging Rauf was involved in an Indian Premier League (IPL) betting scandal which surfaced in May this year and ended in life bans for two Indian players, including Test paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth. The International Cricket Council (ICC) withdrew Rauf from the Champions Trophy in June before removing him from the Elite Umpire panel pending an inquiry by the world governing body.
Speaking at the press conference here, Rauf's legal adviser Syed Ali Zafar, flanked by Rauf, said: "We have not officially received any chargesheet from Mumbai police rather we came to know whatever was reported in the media. My client is a well-known, professional and a competent Pakistani umpire. We think Mumbai police is doing his character assassination and it's a conspiracy against him."
"Whatever is being reported in the press is all false and I strongly deny it on behalf of Rauf. At the moment we don't want to give any importance to it and it doesn't have any legality,” the lawyer added.
He said his client would not go to India to answer the ‘vague’ allegations. "As far as Rauf is concerned, he has full confidence on Indian courts but he has no faith in Mumbai police and at the moment we are not confident to go to India," said the lawyer.
Rauf said the bags mostly contained religious items, and there was nothing wrong with ‘exchanging gifts’. "I challenge Mumbai Police, that they should open the bag in the court and produce lavish watches and gold and show it to the whole world," he said. "There are some religious things in them, which are most important to me. I can confirm with full confidence that there wasn't any expensive jewelry in my bags, they contained cotton sheets brought from different shrines from Baghdad and various other holy cities. We have written to the authorities to reclaim my stuff.
"As far as exchanging gifts is concerned, it's not a crime. Mumbai Police should have realised that the subcontinent has its culture and we give gifts. It's a tradition in Pakistan and even in India. There are lots of instances when people do come from India to Pakistan, go to shops and the shopkeepers don't take the money from the guests."
Rauf also denied allegations that he left bags behind while ‘escaping’ from India. "I had requested Vindoo Dara Singh - an Indian actor who was arrested in connection with the betting scandal - to send those bags to the Delhi airport, but due to some miscommunication I missed them."
Rauf said that the ICC had investigated the allegations and given him a clean-chit. "The ICC has investigated the whole thing, it also has its anti-corruption unit, it didn't find me involved in any corruption," he said. "I have provided all my bank accounts, my property details and my SIM card details to them."
Rauf was withdrawn, by the ICC, from officiating in the Champions Trophy in June following the media reports of him being investigated by the police. He was later dropped from the ICC's Elite Panel of umpires, though the governing body confirmed that had nothing to do with the allegations but was a decision taken after the umpire's annual review. Rauf has officiated in 48 Tests, 98 one-dayers and 23 Twenty20 internationals.
No comments:
Post a Comment