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Sri Lankan T20 team owner arrested on graft charges

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The foreign owner of a T20 cricket team in the Sri Lanka Premier League (LPL) was arrested on suspicion of corruption on Wednesday, police said, a day after a high-profile player auction.

Tamim Rahman, owner of Dambulla Thunders and a British national of Bangladeshi origin, was stopped at the country’s main airport before boarding a flight to Dubai, police said.

He…

The foreign owner of a T20 cricket team in Sri Lanka’s Premier League (LPL) was arrested on suspicion of corruption on Wednesday, police said, a day after a high-profile player auction.

Tamim Rahman, owner of Dambulla Thunders and a British citizen of Bangladeshi origin, was stopped at the country’s main airport before boarding a flight to Dubai, police said.

He was arrested after a court ordered him to be detained on suspicion of match-fixing, police and immigration officials told AFP.

Rahman was remanded in custody until May 31 pending further investigation.

He was investigated under two provisions of the Sports Code relating to match-fixing and attempting to organise betting.

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A special police unit dealing with corruption in sports made the arrest. It was the first arrest of an official of the LPL tournament since it began four years ago.

Those convicted under the Sports Act face heavy fines and prison sentences of up to 10 years.

On Tuesday, Rahman’s Dambulla team spent $450,000 to buy 24 players, including the most expensive foreign player, Afghanistan all-rounder Karim Janat, for $80,000.

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The five-team LPL tournament begins on July 1st, with the final taking place on July 21st.

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