The ICC Anti-Corruption Tribunal has found Mehar Chhayakar guilty of seven breaches of the ICC and Cricket Canada Anti-Corruption Codes and banned him for 14 years from all cricket.
Chhayakar along with three other UAE players (UAE captain Mohammad Naveed, top-order bat Shaiman Anwar and seamer Qadeer Ahmed) were charged under the ICC anti-corruption code in 2019 and provisionally suspended just days ahead of the T20 World Cup Qualifier.
UAE captain Mohammad Naveed was withdrawn from the Emirates squad without explanation on Thursday (October 10), whilst top-order bat Shaiman Anwar and seamer Qadeer Ahmed have likewise withdrawn ahead of UAE’s first warm-up match against Scotland on Monday, with left-arm seamer Ahmed Raza taking over the captaincy.
Chhayakar was found guilty of corruption in Zimbabwe v UAE series in April 2019 and matches in the GT20 in Canada in 2019 according to ICC.
Mr Chhayakar’s offences are linked to the previous cases of former UAE players Qadeer Khan and Gulam Shabbir," the ICC said.“Both Qadeer and Shabbir accepted sanctions for admitted breaches of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code relating to approaches they received from Mr Chhayakar.”
The articles Chhayakar has been found guilty of breaching are as follows:
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Article 2.1.1 (on two separate occasions) - Fixing or contriving in any way or otherwise influencing improperly or being a party to any agreement or effort to fix or contrive in any way or otherwise influence improperly, the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of any International Match, including (without limitation) by deliberately underperforming therein.
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Article 2.1.4 (on two separate occasions) - Directly or indirectly soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging or intentionally facilitating any Participant to breach any of the foregoing provisions of this Article 2.1.
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Article 2.4.6 (on two separate occasions) - Failing or refusing, without compelling justification, to cooperation with any investigation carried out by the ACU in relation to possible Corrupt Conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code (by any Participant), including (without limitation) failing to provide accurately and completely any information and/or documentation requested by the ACU (whether as part of a formal Demand pursuant to Article 4.3 or otherwise) as part of such investigation.
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Article 2.4.7 - Obstructing or delaying any investigation that may be carried out by the ACU in relation to possible Corrupt Conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code (by any Participant), including (without limitation) concealing, tampering with or destroying any documentation or other information that may be relevant to that investigation and/or that may be evidence of or may lead to the discovery of evidence of Corrupt Conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code)".