Buzz surrounding the news of match-fixing scandals in cricket nowadays has made Sri Lanka take a deeper dig about criminalising offences like fixing and sports betting.
According to the confirmed sources parliament has approved all three readings of a bill marked as “Prevention of Offences Related to Sports”.
The individual involved in any kind of illegal activities related to such crimes of corruption in sports would be levied with a penalty of imprisonment up to 10 years, plus would be asked to pay various fines. Sri Lanka’s Sports Minister Harin Fernando presented the bill in the parliament and cabinet minister, former skipper Arjuna Ranatunga supported the new legislation during parliamentary debates.
Sri Lanka’s sports ministry took keen interest to assist ICC in the procedures of the drafting of the bill. This new legislation has been drafted considering all sports along with cricket and the everyday scams were to be blamed for the draft to implemented on an immediate basis. It is clearly stated by the means of legislation that the person involved in particular offence would be held as criminal as well the person providing inside information and the curators providing certain platforms of betting would be held guilty too.
Former players and others involved in sports to provide corrupt figures access to current players would be considered under charges of illegal activities. The bill put charges of “acts of omission”, which includes failure to report corrupt approaches. This means that Sri Lankan cricketers who are approached by corruptors now have to report these approaches not only to the ICC’s ACU, but also to a Special Investigation Unit appointed by Sri Lanka’s government.
