Cricket Canada suspended over allegations of gang-linked corruption

Cricket’s international governing body has suspended Canada over what it described as “serious breaches of its membership obligations”, dealing the latest blow to an organization that critics say has become a “laughing stock” within the sport.The suspension also comes amid growing concerns that one of Canada’s fastest-growing sports is being influenced by members of a notorious gang that operates with impunity from an Indian prison cell.The International Cricket Council (ICC) finalized the suspension at a meeting in Ahmedabad, India, on Sunday amid mounting concerns about the governance of Canada’s national cricket body. The decision follows the freezing of Canada" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="119054" data-entity-type="organization">Cricket Canada’s funding in May after allegations that the organization lacked adequate governance systems and had failed to file audited financial statements.In a statement, Canada" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="119054" data-entity-type="organization">Cricket Canada’s new interim chief operating officer, Bhavjit Jauhar, said the ICC suspension was “unexpected” but that the organization won’t challenge the decision. Instead it “remains fully committed to meeting all compliance requirements”. Jauhar said an independent investigation will look into governance and financial controls.In recent months, Canada’s cricket governing body has been the subject of explosive allegations from the Fifth Estate, CBC’s investigative unit. The show said its wide-ranging investigation found corruption, coercion, evidence of match-fixing and other misconduct within Canada" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="119054" data-entity-type="organization">Cricket Canada.In one instance, the national outlet flagged questionable promotions within the ranks of players and accusations from senior staff that members at the top of the organization were ordering elements of matches to be fixed. One member of the national team told CBC that certain players were meant to rise quickly through the ranks – including to the level of captain. Players received threats that they could be killed if they didn’t cooperate.Because sports betting has grown increasingly sophisticated and the amounts staked have grown so much, gamblers can bet money on possible errors and batting orders.After the team’s captain made an error in the opening part of a game against New Zealand in February, he was questioned by the ICC’s anti-corruption unit for alleged match-fixing.Reporting also suggests that allegations of corruption are tied to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, a transnational syndicate run from a Delhi prison cell.Bishnoi has been linked to a number of killings and attempted assassinations in Canada. Police suspect members of the Bishnoi gang could be responsible for the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh activist shot dead outside his temple in British Columbia. Bishnoi also ordered the killing of Sidhu Moose Wala, a Punjabi rapper with an international following, who was shot dead near his village in Punjab.Canada’s federal government recently designated the gang a terrorist entity. Federal officials say the organization uses “murder, shootings and arson” to extort and intimidate diaspora communities – and has alleged links to India’s ruling government.The ICC said the decision to allow Canadian teams to compete during the suspension was made to ensure players were not hurt by issues affecting Canada" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="119054" data-entity-type="organization">Cricket Canada.Additionally, Canada" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="119054" data-entity-type="organization">Cricket Canada will have limited access to financial resources for its national teams from a controlled funding mechanism under ICC oversight.The ICC said it will provide Canada" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="119054" data-entity-type="organization">Cricket Canada with a set of reinstatement conditions, and reinstatement will be contingent on the organization meeting the conditions to the satisfaction of the ICC’s board.Canadian teams are still eligible to compete in sanctioned events.