ICC launches 15-day amnesty as investigation widens in Sri Lanka

The International Cricket Council has announced an unprecedented 15-day amnesty as part of its investigation into corruption in Sri Lanka.

The amnesty, which will run from 16-31 January, is the first of its kind held by cricket’s world governing body.

Failure to report an approach, incident or information can result in a ban from cricket of up to five years, but those who come forward during the ICC amnesty with information on corrupt conduct, which they had previously failed to report, will not be charged.

Last year, former Sri Lanka international players Sanath Jayasuriya, Nuwan Zoysa and Dilhara Lokuhettige were charged by the ICC’s anti-corruption unit as part of a wide-ranging investigation.

• Jayasuriya responds to corruption charges
• Zoysa charged with match-fixing
• Lokuhettige charged with corruption

Alex Marshall, general manager of the ICC’s anti-corruption unit, said: “This is the first time the ICC has held an amnesty and it is in response to the very specific challenges we face in Sri Lanka.

“Allowing retrospective reporting of alleged approaches to engage in corrupt conduct will assist in our ongoing and wide-ranging investigations, as well as enabling us to continue to develop a comprehensive picture of the situation there.”

The amnesty will apply to anyone who comes under the ICC’s and Sri Lanka Cricket’s anti-corruption codes.

Under those codes, players are obliged to “report, without delay, full details of any approaches, incident or information that they receive to engage in corrupt conduct”, and failure to do so is a serious offence.

Former Test captain Jayasuriya, 49, was charged last October with two breaches of the ICC’s anti-corruption code.

Jayasuriya, also a former chairman of selectors and an ex-Sri Lanka government minister, was accused of failing to co-operate with an investigation and “concealing, tampering with or destroying evidence”, but issued a statement saying he had always acted with “integrity”.

Sri Lanka bowling coach Zoysa, 40, and former all-rounder Lokuhettige, 38, were separately charged with breaches of the codes relating to match-fixing.