The case against Mohammad Asif, who was detained in Dubai on June 1 for suspected possession of an illegal substance, has been dropped by the Dubai Public Prosecution and the fast bowler will be deported soon, according to a report in the Gulf News.
The report quoted the public prosecutor as saying the case was being dropped due to "insignificance".
The Pakistan cricket board was yet to confirm or deny the development. "We are waiting for Asif's lawyer to give us exact details of what has transpired," Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB's chief operating officer, told Cricinfo. However, Aamir Bilal, media advisor to the PCB, told the TV channel CNN-IBN that Asif would be in Pakistan by midnight on June 20.
"He [Asif] will be deported as soon as the police finalise the procedures," Mohammad Al Nuaimi, the public prosecutor who handled Asif's case, told Gulf News. "It is definite that he committed the crime as he was caught red-handed ... however in certain cases and for a faster litigation process the Public Prosecution drops a case due to insignificance and deports the suspect."
It is likely that the PCB will take action against Asif should he return, but even if they don't, the ICC might. They have been monitoring the situation and it is possible that Asif will face penalties under the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA), of which the ICC is a signatory, once he is released.
Dave Richardson, ICC's acting chief executive, had said that they had asked the PCB to keep them updated on the Asif issue. "As far as we know he has not been charged as yet," Richardson said. "But since the ICC is a signatory of WADA regulations if he is charged then he is liable to penalties under WADA code of conduct."
Mohammad Asif is likely to remain in detention in Dubai for another three to four days, a Pakistan board official has said, quashing widespread speculation that he had been released or had c
Asif likely to remain in detention
Cricinfo staff
June 4, 2008
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Board officials are concerned that the test results on the substance Asif was detained for have still not arrived © Getty Images
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Mohammad Asif is likely to remain in detention in Dubai for another three to four days, a Pakistan board official has said, quashing widespread speculation that he had been released or had charges against him dropped.
Asif has been detained at Dubai International Airport since Sunday after an allegedly contraband substance was found in his wallet. Since then, the PCB has appointed legal counsel for him and sent a senior board official to Dubai to handle the case.
Discussions took place between Asif's lawyer and prosecutors yesterday, though with no immediate resolution. A PCB official told Cricinfo that results from a urine test authorities carried out on Asif are still awaited, as are the results of a test on the substance itself. The fact that it has taken them so long to get results is in itself a concern, the official said.
Further complicating the matter is the fact that there has been a death in the UAE's royal family, which generally means that the various states will observe a period of mourning now over the next few days and that public offices may remain closed.
Several TV channels and newspapers reported today that charges against Asif had been dropped. Dawn newspaper reported the Pakistani ambassador to the UAE as saying that and that Asif was due to head back to Pakistan on the first available flight.
"These are incorrect as far as we know," a PCB official told Cricinfo. "The charges haven't even been laid against him so far. As far as we know of the process, the airport prosecutor lays the charges down and passes on to the public prosecutor who will then decide whether or not this should go to trial. That process, we have been told, can take three to four days. But we are concerned that they have not come back still with results of the urine test, which they carried out on Sunday and the tests on the substance."
Reply:
Any Public figure like him, sh
Replied by(
Noman)
Replied on (3/Jun/2008)
All Public figures should be hanged publicly, if they are the source of such disgrace. People of Pakistan became target all over the world due to there such Ir-responsible acts. What a shame
Pakistan board eager for Asif to return
Cricinfo staff
June 3, 2008
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The Pakistan board are hoping that there's a mistake in the case involving Mohammad Asif © AFP
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The Pakistan Cricket Board is hoping to bring Mohammad Asif back to Pakistan as soon as possible from Dubai where he is detained, though they admit they are still in the dark about the case.
Asif was detained by officials at the airport Sunday morning, according to Nadeem Akram, a senior PCB official, for possessing a contraband drug in his wallet. That sample has now been sent for tests and a meeting is underway between Asif's lawyer and the public prosecutor.
"Asif was detained on Sunday," Shafqat Naghmi, the board's chief operating officer, said while addressing a press conference at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. "We don't have all the details right now about why he was. Authorities in Dubai are still investigating. We do know that it was about something Asif had in his possession. But we stress that no charges have yet been laid against him."
Naghmi said the board was hoping the case was a mistake of some kind, but owing to the gravity of the situation, the Pakistan Embassy in Dubai had been alerted. "We hope this has been some sort of mistake, but we have appointed legal counsel there from one of the best firms in Dubai.
"The embassy has also been contacted. Nadeem Akram has been there since that night. We are just hoping that Asif gets back as soon as possible, hopefully in time for the Bangladesh tri-series."
Dubai's laws on drug possession are among the strictest in the world and Naghmi warned that if Asif was found guilty, he would have to be dealt with according to the laws of the land. "The UAE government has a very straight procedure. If something is found in your possession an investigation begins straightaway. If he is found to be in possession, then he will be treated according to their laws."
If Asif does get out of the situation, it is inconceivable that he will not face any disciplinary action from the Pakistan board, though Naghmi said that wasn't the priority right now. "First we just want him to be back in Pakistan. Only after he gets back and the situation is clearer will we look at that possibility and see. Right now there is no charge-sheet against him."
Speculation has predictably buzzed since the news broke, though Naghmi stressed that it was just that and nothing more. One local channel Express News claimed to have spoken to Asif, who said that he had been implicated after getting into a drunken brawl with security officers at the airport. This was denied to Cricinfo by Akram, as well as Naghmi during the press conference.
"This is all just speculation. We cannot hide stuff like this and remember there is no chargesheet yet. I have been told that what was found was some medicine given to him by a local Pakistani Hakeem."
May be those who supports Musharraf, will say here the same, This is ASIF's Personal Matter and we should not indulge into this matter, For such person's, nation's pride is nothing.