LAHORE: Lawyer for cricketer Khalid Latif has decided to boycott the proceedings of PCB’s three-member Anti-corruption Tribunal (ACT) hearing the Pakistan Super League spot-fixing case as a mark of protest against tribunal’s refusal to hand over the recording of May 19 (Friday) hearing of his client.

Lawyer Badar Alam, while talking to reporters here on Saturday, said that he submitted a request to the Anti-corruption Tribunal to provide him the recording of May 19 hearing in which lawyer for the PCB had given negative remarks against Khalid and his lawyer.

But the Anti-corruption Tribunal, he said, was not ready to hand over the same on grounds that it was the right of the tribunal to keep all records in its custody.

“We will continue to boycott the tribunal until we receive recordings of the May 19 proceedings,” maintained lawyer for Khalid. “We have also made it clear that we are neither accepting the anti-corruption codes nor the tribunal,” he further said.

Badar also called for the appointment of a new chairman of the Anti-corruption Tribunal as, he said, he had reservations against retired Justice Asghar Haider Rizvi. Stating that the Anti-corruption Tribunal held its proceedings so much as in the absences of his client, Lawyer for Khalid said that his client was already appearing before the tribunal under protest.

“I would announce my next course of action at the end of the proceedings,” commented counsel for Khalid while stating that he was not making an escape from the case but he had presented genuine demands which should be fulfilled.

Meanwhile, lawyer for the PCB Tafazzul Rizvi said his rival lawyer wanted to make escape from scene while stating that the tribunal had the authority to continue its hearing even in the absence of any accused, adding it had also the authority to announce its verdict against the absentee.

He said Khalid had already moved the Lahore High Court against the tribunal and its proceedings but his petition was rejected. The proceedings of the Anti-corruption Tribunal were being held in line with the PCB Constitution, asserted Tafazzul who said: “It had been proved that Khalid met a bookie on Feb 8 and then he met him along with Sharjeel Khan, another accused of the spot-fixing case.”

Though Khalid was not ready to confess those meetings with the bookie in front of the media, he had admitted it as a mistake before the tribunal, he remarked.

The Anti-corruption Tribunal includes Justice Asghar Haider Rizvi as its chairman while retired Lt-Gen Tauqir Zia and former Test wicket-keeper Wasim Bari as its two members. All are respectable names in their respective fields but their past association with the PCB in different capacities is a point of concern for Khalid’s lawyer.

Asghar was PCB legal advisor before being elevated as Justice of the Lahore High Court in early 2000 while Tauqir remained PCB chairman from 2000 to 2004 with Bari performing as chief selector, team manager, Chief Operating Officer of the PCB and Director Human Resource (PCB) after retiring from international cricket.

Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2017