J&K cricket scam: Fresh allegations against Farooq Abdullah

Srinagar:  Two former treasurers of the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) have made fresh allegations against Union minister Farooq Abdullah in connection with what is now being called as the J&K cricket scam. Mr Abdullah, who is a senior National Conference leader, heads the association. 
Speaking to NDTV, Mir Manzoor Gazanfar, who resigned as the treasurer of JKCA in 2008, has claimed that Mr Abdullah visited his hotel in Srinagar and made him sign blank cheques. "I was taking my father to the doctor. All of a sudden, a call comes from the worthy president. He says he will be coming to see me. He came with Ehsan Mirza. He said the association has become defunct because I don't sign the cheques. I denied, but after he insisted, I signed a few cheques," he said, adding that he admits what he did was wrong. "I did it on the insistence of the worthy president. I had trust in him. I still trust him. He is also being misled and I am also misled," he added.
Ehsaan Mirza, the man Mr Gazanfar claims accompanied Mr Abdullah when he visited him, is also a former treasurer of the JKCA. He is accused of defrauding the association of over Rs. 30 crore after allegedly opening bogus bank accounts on its behalf. He was later sacked on charges of embezzlement. He, however, claims that he has been made a scapegoat.
NDTV has accessed documents that purportedly show that Mr Abdullah recommended a loan of almost Rs. 2 crore in favour of Mr Mirza. The documents comprise copies of bank account statements and a letter purportedly signed by Mr Abdullah recommending that Mr Mirza be given a loan of Rs. 1.90 crore against deposits of the cricket association at the Khanyar Branch of J&K Bank. The account in this branch is allegedly one of the many bogus accounts being operated from four banks by Mr Mirza. Most of the money, which had been sent by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the promotion of the sport in the state, was landing in the 'shadow' accounts of the cricket association.

Mr Abdullah has however denied that there was "any embezzlement of funds." He has also clarified that Mr Mirza had extended an interest-free loan to the cricket association during the time its accounts had been sealed by the courts. It was this amount, to the tune of Rs. 1.91 crore, which was cleared by the association through a resolution to pay back Mr Mirza. "I have never taken a penny from the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association in any form," he said.
Farooq Abdullah's National Conference rules Jammu and Kashmir and his son Omar Abdullah is the chief minister of the state.

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Custody row: Norway authorities ask for fresh guarantees from India

Oslo:  In what seems as yet another obstruction in the custody battle of one-year-old Aishwarya and three-year-old Abhigyan, the Norwegian Child Welfare Services have sought fresh legal guarantees from India.
The two children have been in foster care since May last year after Norway child welfare officials decided that their parents - Sagarika and Anurup Bhattacharya - were negligent. After the India government's intervention, the authorities had agreed to recommend to a court in Norway on March 23 that the children be placed in the custody of their uncle Arunabhas Bhattacharya.
But in a fresh letter written to the embassy of India, the Child Welfare Services have asked for legal documents guaranteeing that appropriate care and treatment would be given to the boy who has special needs. They have also sought assurance that the children's uncle would continue to be their legal guardian in India. They have also sought that these documents be submitted one week before the court hearing, and have warned that failing this, the children will have to stay on in Norway.
Though the letter says that the Norwegian authorities are seeking the guarantees in writing on "urgent basis" only to "facilitate the process of reaching a solution", there are fears that this could possibly delay the handing over of the children to their uncle.
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Was India vs Pakistan World Cup semi-final fixed? ICC to probe fresh claims: Reports

London: The International Cricket Council (ICC) is all set to launch an inquiry into a report in the 'Sunday Times', which claimed that Indian bookmakers are fixing the results of England county games and international fixtures.
The newspaper's investigation has suggested that the bookmakers offer thousands of pounds to the players. About 44,000 pounds to batsmen for slow scoring, 50,000 pounds for bowlers who concede runs and 750,000 pounds for a player or official who can guarantee a match outcome.
It also revealed that corruption tainted last year's World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan.
The fixers claimed to have recruited players from countries, including England, using a Bollywood actress as a honeytrap.
A Delhi bookmaker has told the newspaper that county cricket "is a good market" as it involves "low-profile matches and nobody monitors them. That's why good money can be made there without any hassle".
The paper has passed on all the informations it gathered from its investigation to the ICC, who said it would investigate into these "serious allegations".
"We are grateful for the information you have provided and will launch an inquiry into these serious allegations.
"Betting on cricket in the legal and illegal markets continues to grow rapidly and, with many, many millions of dollars being bet on every match, the threat of corrupters seeking to influence the game has not gone away," an ICC spokesperson said.
Just a few weeks ago former Essex bowler Mervyn Westfield became the first English cricketer to be jailed for corruption after he admitted taking money to fix a match against Durham in September 2009.
Last year, three Pakistan players - Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir - were also jailed in Britain for 'spot-fixing' in a 2010 Test match against England.
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