A three-member team of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is ready to leave for London to investigate the allegations regarding the involvement of Pakistan cricketers in spot fixing of the fourth cricket Test match against England at Lords.
The FIA team will be headed by an Additional Director General of the Agency to assist the Scotland Yard in the investigation, besides carrying out inquiries into the allegations made against players, sources in FIA said.
They said that the FIA has received a directive from Interior Minister Rehman Malik to send a team to London, and the team will leave soon for London, which will study the allegations that two players deliberately bowled no-balls during the final Test against England at Lord's.
FIA sources said that there were reports that Scotland Yard was informed about match fixing a month ago during the first match between England and Pakistan in Nottingham. However, the real matter would surface after FIA team reaches London. They said that the International Cricket Council has decided to study all 82 Tests and one-day matches played by Pakistan, reportedly claimed by Mazhar Majeed as having been rigged.
About reason to send FIA team to UK when Scotland Yard has collected all evidence, FIA sources said that the first and foremost reason to send the team to UK is to assist the Scotland Yard and hold a separate probe into the matter. They said that the decision to send the FIA team to UK came after Pakistan High Commission in UK asked the government to send the team. One important reason is that the Scotland Yard has released the main accused Mazhar Majeed without presenting him in court, which has raised suspicions on the whole episode, they said.
It is also imperative to send FIA team to UK as ICC has announced to investigate all 82 test and one-day matches Pakistan has played in past to ascertain the involvement of the players in match fixing, they said. It is pertinent to note that the main accused in the episode, Mazhar Majeed, was arrested on Saturday and released on bail to appear before police at a future date. Mazhar was arrested by Scotland Yard on claims that Sunday newspaper reporters paid a middle-man £150,000 in return for exact details related to play during the match.
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