There is no evidence to prove me guilty, says Asad Rauf on the ban imposed on him by BCCI
FORMER PAKISTANI UMPIRE ASAD RAUF reacting to the five-year ban imposed on him by BCCI for corruption, says that there is no evidence to pronounce him guilty.
The 59-year-old umpire who was part of the ICC's elite panel was accused of accepting gifts from the bookies along with placing bets on Indian Premier League matches in the 2013 edition.
"What authority does the BCCI or IPL have to ban me when the court in Mumbai told the police they had no evidence against me?" Rauf asked while talking to PTI.
The ban will prevent Rauf from getting into any cricketing activity associated with the BCCI.
"The BCCI and IPL appointed an investigation commissioner and they claimed I fled from India without completing my IPL assignment which is not true. I completed all my assignments and left India in fact one day after my assignments ended," Rauf claimed.
He was also pulled out from the 2013 Champions Trophy by the ICC as the Indian cricket board said that the tainted umpire was under police investigation. But the Pakistani umpire claimed that nothing was found against him.
"The court said Rauf earns more than 3 million rupees a month so accepting small gifts like jeans, t-shirts or caps is not a big issue," Rauf claimed.
"The BCCI and IPL appointed commissioner Ravi Sawani didn't even bother to check when I left India and made accusations against me to the police."
Rauf said that he had written through his legal advisor to BCCI, making it clear he was ready to go to the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai and appear before any commission.
"I told them that I would come with my lawyer but they insisted I should come alone, so I didn't go. But I offered them to meet me in Karachi or Dubai and they declined. After which I sent them my detailed statement," Rauf said.
After the ban, the umpire now plans to send a notice to BCCI and IPL via his lawyer and will sue them for tarnishing his reputation and image.
"The BCCI or IPL is no authority to ban me. Even if the Pakistan Cricket Board is not willing to take up my case, I will do it myself through my lawyer," he said.
