BCB suspends players, officials over alleged BPL corruption

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has provisionally suspended several players, team officials, and a franchise owner for allegedly breaching anti-corruption codes during the 12th edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

“The charges arise out of investigations conducted by the Bangladesh Cricket Board Integrity Unit (BCBIU) in relation to alleged corrupt conduct, betting activities, failures to cooperate with anti-corruption investigations, and obstruction of investigations connected to the Bangladesh Premier League T20 (BPL T20), 12th Edition,” the BCB said in a statement.

“The investigations related to alleged betting-related activities, corrupt approaches, failures to comply with Demand Notices issued under Article 4.3 of the Code, concealment and deletion of relevant communications, and failures to cooperate with the Designated Anti-Corruption Official (DACO). Those charged include,” it added.

The announcement was made on Thursday by BCB ad-hoc committee chief Tamim Iqbal at a press conference in Mirpur.

Tamim said the investigation found evidence of involvement in fixing and related irregularities against at least five individuals. “The allegations have been proven in the investigation,” he said.

The charges follow an investigation by the BCB Integrity Unit into betting activities, corrupt approaches, and the obstruction of investigations.

Md. Lablur Rahman, a team manager, and Md. Towhidul Haque Towhid, a franchise co-owner, both face charges for refusing to cooperate with the Anti-Corruption Official.

The BCB alleged the pair failed to comply with demand notices and intentionally concealed or deleted relevant communications to delay the probe.

Domestic cricketer Amit Mojumder and team manager Rezwan Kabir Siddique have also been charged with entering into bets related to the results and progress of matches.

The BCB has given those charged 14 days to respond to the allegations.

In a separate move, the board issued an exclusion order against Saminur Lablur for alleged corrupt activities spanning the 9th, 10th, and 11th editions of the BPL. Investigations linked Lablur to international betting networks and the facilitation of corrupt conduct.

According to the BCB, Lablur waived his right to a response and accepted the exclusion order.