British prosecutors on Friday initiated criminal proceedings against three Pakistani cricketers — former skipper Salman Butt and fast bowlers Moham-mad Asif and Mohammad Aamer — and a British businessman over spot-fixing allegations in the fourth Test at Lord’s in August 2010.
The Crown Prosecution Service said it “has authorised charges of conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments and also conspiracy to cheat” against the three cricketers and Mazhar Majeed, Pakistan-origin British businessman and agent, who was arrested in the spot-fixing scandal.
“We received a full file of evidence (from the police) on December 7, 2010. We are satisfied there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and it’s in the public interest to prosecute,” the CPS said.
The prosecutors warned they would seek extradition of the three cricketers if they did not return voluntarily to UK to face the charges.