Pakistani cricketers jailed for spot-fixing scam

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt and two of his team mates pacers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were today sentenced to varying jail terms after being found guilty of spot-fixing by a court in London.They are the first cricketers ever to be imprisoned for corruption.

Butt was sentenced to two and a half years, Asif was handed a one-year term, while the 19-year-old Amir was sentenced to six months of prison time by the Southwark Crown Court in London.

Players' agent Mazhar Majeed got the strongest punishment as he was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison by Justice Jeremy Cooke after a trial that ran for close to three weeks.

Justice Cooke told the convicted quartet on Thursady these offences, regardless of pleas, are so serious that only a sentence of imprisonment will suffice.

Butt, who apparently corrupted his teammates, was called the orchestrator of the scam that was revealed after a sting operation on Majeed by the now-defunct tabloid 'The News of the World' in August last year.

The cricketers, however, might have to serve just half of their sentences as they can be released on license if their behaviour is good.

The three players were also ordered to pay up the prosecution cost of the case. While Butt was asked to pay 30,937 pounds, Asif and Amir were told to pay 8,120 and 9,389 pounds respectively.

The trio entered the courtroom amid high drama as media persons jostled with laymen for seats in what was perhaps the biggest criminal trial involving cricketers and their sentencing ends a year of high drama which has left Pakistan cricket embarrassed.

The saga began in August last year when shocking footage of Majeed claiming that he could fix a Test match for USD one million came to light.

He claimed to have Butt, Asif and Amir on his payroll and revealed how the trio conspired to send down pre-determined no balls during the Lord's Test against England.

The hotel rooms of the cricketers were raided by the police after the sting and cash was recovered which the trio could not explain.