Pakistan ‘fixing’ evidence passed to prosecutors

British police investigating spot-fixing allegations against Pakistan cricketers on Friday passed their evidence to prosecutors who will consider charges.

Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz have been questioned by officers looking into allegations made in a British tabloid after an undercover investigation relating to a test against England at Lord’s last month.

“The Metropolitan Police Service has today delivered an initial file of evidence relating to conspiracy to defraud bookmakers to the Crown Prosecution Service,” a police statement said. “The file will now be subject to CPS consideration. This is an initial file and the MPS investigation continues.”

The International Cricket Council, which described the allegations as the sport’s biggest fixing scandal for a decade, has already suspended and charged Butt, Asif and Amir under its anti-corruption code. The trio, who have been allowed to return to Pakistan, wrote to the ICC earlier this week to say they would contest the charges.

Pakistan lost the fourth and final test against England by an innings and 225 runs, its worst test defeat.

The News of the World accused Butt, Amir and Asif of being paid by businessman Mazhar Majeed to deliberately bowl no-balls during the Lord’s test. Majeed, who was also arrested and questioned by police, appeared to accept 150,000 British pounds ($232,000) from the reporters, posing as front men for a Far East gambling cartel.

During a police search of players’ rooms after the newspaper published the allegations, 2,500 pounds ($3,850) was found in Butt’s room and 1,500 pounds ($2,300) in Amir’s.

PCB chairman Ijaz Butt claimed that Butt was paid the money by his agent as an advance for making an appearance at the opening of an ice cream parlor in England.

The PCB chairman said that Amir had declared that he had 1,500 pounds in his possession, but did not elaborate on where the money came from.