A former senior Zimbabwe cricket official who has been suspended from the game after he admitted trying to influence the result of the Test series with the West Indies last year, reportedly refused to hand over his cell phone to International Cricket Council investigators leaving him in a disarray.
In a statement to The Associated Press on Tuesday, the ICC said Enock Ikope, the charged official is bound by the world body’s anti-corruption code as a cricket official and so was charged with three offenses relating to obstructing or delaying an investigation that related to “possible corrupt conduct.”
“Mr. Ikope is a ZC director and chairman of Harare Metropolitan Cricket Association and, therefore, he is bound by the ICC anti-corruption code,” the ICC statement said.
Ikope termed ICC investigation process as unlawful for they wanted his cell phone that was a ‘private property.’ Ikope was reported deleted all the information in the phone and said he will send it to the ICC later.
The International Cricket Council has already banned another Zimbabwean official Rajan Nayer, the treasurer and marketing director of the Harare Metropolitan Cricket Association, who was charged after offering Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer US$30,000 to fix the result of the Test series with the West Indies last year, which the visitors won.
Cremer informed coach Heath Streak of the approach and the matter was referred to the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Nayer accepted a charge of breaching the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Code.