Former allrounder Dilhara Lokuhettige has become the third ex-Sri Lanka player to be charged with corruption-related offences, this time for allegedly breaching the Emirates Cricket Board’s anti-corruption code. The charges, of which there are three, relate to the T10 Cricket League played in December last year.
The charges are as follows:
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Being party to an effort to fix or contrive or to otherwise influence improperly the result, progress, conduct, or other aspect(s) of a domestic match.
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Directly soliciting, inducing, enticing or encouraging a player to [improperly influence a match]
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Failure to disclose to a designated anti-corruption officer (without unnecessary delay) full details of any approaches or invitations he received to engage in corrupt conduct under the code
Lokuhettige, 38, was not part of any of the T10 squads, nor had he been an official member of the coaching staff in any of the six sides that took part in the competition.
A “Team Sri Lanka” side, comprising a mix of domestic and international players, did take part in the competition, however.
Lokuhettige is understood to currently reside in Australia, but has links to the cricket system in Sri Lanka. He was recently seen allegedly talking about a fix in Al Jazeera’s “Cricket’s Match Fixers” documentary, which was aired in May.
The other ex-players charged with corruption-related offences over the past few weeks are Sanath Jayasuriya and Nuwan Zoysa.