ICC bans former Zimbabwe official Ikope for 10 years

MUMBAI (Agencies): Enock Ikope, former Zimbabwe Cricket Director, has been banned from all cricket for 10 years after the ICC anti-corruption tribunal found him guilty of breaching three counts of the ICC anti-corruption code, as follows: Article 2.4.6 – Failure or refusal to cooperate with the ACU’s investigation by failing to provide accurately and completely the information and/or documentation requested by the ACU in January 2018. This included refusing to hand over his mobile phone and documents demanded by the ACU.

Article 2.4.7 – Obstructing or delaying any investigation that may be carried out by the ACU in relation to possible Corrupt Conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code in January 2018. This included further failures and delays handing over his mobile phone and documents demanded by the ACU.

Article 2.4.7 – Obstructing or delaying any investigation that may be carried out by the ACU in relation to possible Corrupt Conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code in February 2018. This arose as a result of his deletion of data from his mobile phone before handing it over to the ACU.

Ikope was banned for 5 years in respect of each breach. As per the tribunal’s order, the first two of the 5-year periods of ineligibility is to be run concurrently, with the penalty for the third breach of Article 2.4.7 to run consecutively, resulting in a total ban of 10 years.

The penalty was handed after the anti-corruption tribunal had established information during its investigation into the corrupt approach made by Mr Rajan Nayer to Zimbabwe cricket Captain Graeme Cremer, which according to them, “gave the ACU reasonable grounds to suspect that Mr Ikope may have engaged in corrupt conduct under the Code.”

Alex Marshall, ICC General Manager – ACU said: “We welcome this decision and the substantial sanction imposed on Mr Ikope which reflects the gravity of the offences. Non-cooperation and obstruction of our investigations by participants to the Code are simply not acceptable and I hope this and other recent sanctions sends out a clear message to anyone involved in the sport.

“Once again we must thank an international captain, Greame Cremer, for his absolute professionalism in recognizing the initial approach by Mr Nayer, rejecting and then reporting it. We are thankful to him and to Zimbabwe Cricket for all the help during the investigations.”