ICC bans Agarwal for two years

ICC has banned Deepak Agarwal -- described as 'an Indian businessman' by the governing body in an official media release -- for two years with six months of that suspended for failing to conduct himself according to ICC's code of conduct as an owner of Sindhi's franchise in 2018 T10 Cricket League.

Bangladesh cricket was rocked to its foundations last year when the International Cricket Council (ICC) informed that it had banned Shakib Al Hasan from all forms of cricket for two years for not informing the ICC's anti-corruption unit (ACU) of three separate 'approaches or invitations' he received to engage in 'corrupt conduct' by a bookmaker named Deepak Aggarwal seeking match information.

Shakib had initially been contacted by a bookmaker named Deepak Aggarwal during the Bangladesh Premier League in November 2017, according to a full reasoned decision on the ICC's website a year ago. The first two approaches were made during the ODI tri-series at home involving Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in January 2018. The third was made during the Indian Premier League later the same year, in relations to the April 26 match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab.

The charge brought forward by the ICC and stated in its website are as follows:

1. Article 2.4.7 – obstructing or delaying an investigation, including concealing, tampering with or destroying any documentation or other information that may be relevant to that investigation and / or that may be evidence of or may lead to the discovery of evidence of corrupt conduct under the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.

Under the provisions of the Code, Mr Agarwal chose to admit the charges and agreed the sanction with the ICC in lieu of an Anti-Corruption Tribunal hearing. Subject to him satisfying conditions in respect of the suspended part of the sanction, he will be free to resume his involvement in the game on 27 October 2021.

Alex Marshall, ICC General Manager – Integrity said: "There were a number of examples of Mr Agarwal obstructing and delaying our investigations and it was not just a one off occurrence. However, he made a prompt admission of his breach of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code and continues to provide substantial assistance to the ACU in relation to several investigations involving other participants. This cooperation is reflected in his sanction."

In its reasoned decision section of the official website, ICC wrote: "Between 22 and 25 December 2018, Mr Agarwal engaged in WhatsApp conversations with Mr X, another Participant under the Code who Mr Agarwal had been in conversation with over the course of the previous year and who had also been called to an ACU interview in connection with an ongoing ACU investigation which also involved Mr Agarwal. These WhatsApp conversations between Mr X and Mr Agarwal related to what Mr Agarwal had told the ACU in his interviews. In these conversations Mr Agarwal effectively instructed Mr X as to what to say to the ACU over certain matters to ensure that they both told the same story (a story which on occasions was not true) and consequently misled or obstructed the ACU's investigation. Mr X also sought clarification from Mr Agarwal over the interview process and what Mr Agarwal had told the ACU on certain matters. In effect, Mr Agarwal and Mr X contrived together to mislead the ACU investigation and not to tell the truth in their answers."