Spot-fixing case: Court directs FIA to open probe against IO

ISLAMABAD: A banking court has directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to initiate a probe against an investigation officer (IO) for conducting a lopsided investigation into the Pakistan Super League (PSL) spot-fixing case.

In its written order issued on Saturday, the court directed the agency to take action against IO Farid Ahmed Khan after concluding the inquiry in a month’s time.

Earlier, the court had turned down the charge-sheet submitted by Khan with regard to a scandal that emerged in February during the fifth season of the unconcluded PSL event of 2020.

The court had noted that the IO had earlier claimed that there was substantial evidence against one of the accused Muhammad Faisal alias Chitta but he later retracted that statement, giving the accused a clean-chit while also requesting the court to remove his name from the FIR.

On February 27, The FIA arrested three persons allegedly associated with an international racket involved in match-fixing, money laundering and terror financing.

The suspects’ persons in collaboration with their aides mostly based in other countries and an international racket were engaged in defaming and sabotaging the 5th season of the PSL, a franchise twenty20 cricket league which was established by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in 2015.

The FIA had initially arrested Mahender Kumar, Naresh Kumar alias KG and Naresh Kumar alias Jani in an inquiry of the FIA Commercial Banking Circle (CBC) on allegations of keeping Benami accounts, money laundering, and parallel banking practices.

FIA had also arrested Muhammad Faisal alias Chitta, Ahmed Armaghan, Hanif Shaikh and Muhammad.