They have been charged under section 15 of the law, which relates to corrupt activities related to sporting events, including accepting or offering to accept any gratification from another person for engaging in any act that threatens to undermine the integrity of a sporting event or influence the development of the game.
The seven players also received sanctions of between two and 12 years from the CSA, in relation to their participation in the game.
The Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act came into force following the Hansie Cronje match-fixing scandal in 2000, and is understood to be the first time it has been used to charge athletes with crimes. The charges followed an investigation by the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), known as Hawks, a special branch of the South African Police Service that investigates organized and economic crime.
“Corruption undermines the integrity of sport and the Hawks are determined to safeguard the values of fairness and professionalism in all areas of society. We thank cricket South Africa for their cooperation and commitment to tackling this scourge,” said Lieutenant General Godfrey. Lebeya, national director. of the DPCI, said in a statement issued on Friday.
At the time of the initial investigation, CSA said that none of the tournament matches were affected by match-fixing after the plotters’ plans were thwarted. It has since been established that Bodi, in collusion with Indian bookmakers, approached several players to participate in the fixing of three matches in the tournament and also understood that none of the fixing actually took place.
