Despite the Delhi Police’s claim that Herschelle Gibbs’ interrogation today had “filled up the loopholes and gaps” in their probe, police have ruled out any chargesheet for the time being, saying that other cricketers need to be questioned.
Joint Commissioner (Crime) Ranjit Narayan, the probe head, said, “We need to interrogate the other accused in our FIR — Nicky Boje and Pieter Strydom. A chargesheet is not likely after interrogating just Gibbs. We need to take the case forward now after disclosures provided by Gibbs,” he said.
After the breakthrough in 2000, when they recorded conversations between South Africa captain Hansie Cronje and bookie Sanjeev Chawla indicating that an ODI series in India was fixed, the trail had gone cold for the Delhi Police.
The evidence police have against Gibbs is based on his disclosures today; no other material evidence is on record. However, these disclosures, though video-recorded, are not admissible in court.
Narayan said Gibbs was not arrested today as there was “not enough evidence to do the same”, adding that the South African batsman has not admitted to accepting any money. Nor do police have any monetary transaction records to prove any such charge against him.
“Gibbs has admitted to being a part of the conspiracy of match-fixing. He accepted getting an offer and agreeing to it. That he did not perform the way he agreed to is immaterial and he is guilty in this case of conspiring to commit a subsequent offence of cheating and fraud. We will move forward to get more evidence against Gibbs now... we are trying to find out any money transactions,” Narayan said.
Sources say the only evidence other than the tapped conversations is that bookie Sanjiv Chawla stayed in the same hotels as the South African team, during the 2000 one-day international series in India.
However, Gibbs denies knowing Chawla. “We showed him Chawla’s photograph but he said he could not remember ever meeting him. He claims he does not know Chawla at all,” Narayan said.
Cold trail
*Gibbs, Hansie Cronje, Nicky Boje and Pieter Strydom named in FIR (no 111) filed at Chanakyapuri Police Station in April 2000.
* Hansie Cronje who admitted involvement on his part before Kings Commission and got a life ban before he died in a plane crash in 2002
* Sanjeev Chawla, the bookie who offered money to Cronje to under-perform, is in hiding in London and has refused to appear before police despite repeated summons.
* Cinestar Kishen Kumar and businessmen Rajesh Kalra, who were charged and arrested for aiding the scam, are out on bail and no charges have been filed in court against them till date.
*Gibbs first and only cricketer to testify
* South African batsman has not admitted accepting any money. Nor do police have any monetary transaction records to prove any such charge.
Police HQ: He came with an apology, left through the back door
On arriving at the Police Headquarters at 11 am with South African High Commissioner Sehloho Francis Moloi in the latter’s Mercedes, Herschelle Gibbs stepped inside Delhi Police Commissioner K K Paul’s office to apologise for having called him “a hard arse” earlier.
ACP Norbu Tshering had escorted the South African opening batsman from Delhi airport till the police headquarters. “He met the Commissioner, apologised to him and then we took him to the transit mess at Daryaganj for questioning,” JCP (Crime) Ranjit Narayan said. All this while the media, who had been banned from entering the Police Headquarters since morning, kept waiting outside the main entrance.
Asked why Gibbs was taken to the mess from the back door of the Police Headquarters and in Narayan’s car at that, the JCP said: “At PHQ, complainants and telephone calls keep on coming. It would have been disturbing.” However, he expressed surprise that PRO Rajan Bhagat had informed the media that Gibbs was inside the PHQ.
The batsman never returned to the PHQ, being dropped instead at the High Commissioner’s house in a official police vehicle. All this while the media kept waiting outside the PHQ. In fact, around 1.30 pm, police even put up ropes outside the main gate to keep the media at bay, saying Gibbs was about to emerge.
Narayan said Gibbs, who “seemed to get panicky on seeing the huge media contingent”, did not return as he was getting late for a lunch and had a flight to catch to Mumbai.
Police say they did act tough with Gibbs. “He had got very scared when we told him that his offences could even attract life imprisonment. He had lots of water,” Mukhtesh Chander, Additional CP (Crime), who was part of the interrogation team, said.