by Boje's fate rests with S Lankan cricket board
Only Sri Lankan cricket authorities can ensure that Nicky Boje, or any
other member of the Protea team, is not taken into custody on arrival at
Colombo airport next Saturday, Daniel Ngwepe, spokesperson for the
Department of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday.
This comes after reports that India police had made a request to the Sri
Lankan government that Boje be arrested on charges relating to alleged
cricket matchfixing.
Free State spinner Boje, along with Cronje, Herchelle Gibbs, Henry
Williams and Pieter Strydom were in April accused by joint New Delhi
police chief K K Paul of criminal *** to fix the outcome of a
cricket match.
Bronwyn Wilkenson, communications chief for the United Cricket Board of
South Africa (UCBSA) said on Tuesday that assistance had been requested
from deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Aziz Pahad to obtain assurance from
Sri Lanka that Boje would not be taken into custody.
Pahad was however in Turkey on Wednesday. In his absence department
officials held discussions with the Sri Lankan High Commissioner in
Pretoria.
The upshot of the meeting was that Sri Lanka could not give the
necessary assurance to South Africa, particularly because the two
countries do not have an extradition agreement. Sri Lankan cricket
authorities could, however, request the assurance from their government.
Diplomats in Pretoria on Tuesday said they believed the UCBSA had three
alternatives if the Sri Lankan cricket authority could not negotiate
amnesty.
The first option would be to leave Boje out of the team, request him to
withdraw or cancel the tour because of the danger that team members
could be arrested.
If the UCBSA withdraws Boje, it risks being sued for loss of income.
Gibbs was withdrawn from the team after admitting that at Cronje's
request he had agreed to make less than twenty runs in a test. He
however "forgot" to do so and did not receive any money. Williams, who
also admitted guilt, was not selected for the team.