UK’s National Crime Agency charges former Pakistan opener Nasir Jamshed of bribery

Nasir Jamshed will have to appear before Manchester Magistrates Court on January 15 as he has been charged for two counts of bribery by United Kingdom’s(UK) National Crime Agency (NCA). Earlier last year, Jamshed was arrested, after investigations into spot-fixing in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). In August this year, he was handed a 10-year ban by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after being found guilty of five charges under its anti-corruption code.

The NCA working in cooperation with the PCB and ICC anti-corruption units stated on Wednesday that Jamshed, who lives in the UK, had been served with a written summons by the Crown Prosecution Service. Along with Jamshed, two British nationals,  Mohammed Ijaz and Yousaf Anwar have also been charged.

"Three men have been charged with bribery offences as part of a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation into cricket match spot-fixing in tournaments organised by national cricket boards from Pakistan and Bangladesh.

"British nationals Yousaf Anwar, 35, and Mohammed Ijaz, 33, were arrested in February 2017, along with Nasir Jamshaid, 32, from Pakistan.

"Yesterday (Wednesday 19 December) they were served with written summonses by the Crown Prosecution Service charging them each with two counts of bribery. Their first appearance at Manchester Magistrates Court will be on 15 January 2019.

"The NCA worked closely with the Pakistan Cricket Board and International Cricket Council's anti-corruption units as part of the investigation. The Pakistan Cricket Board launched its own investigation which, following subsequent tribunal hearings, resulted in the suspension of three players," the NCA statement said as stated by cricinfo.com.

The punishment for bribery, tried at a Magistrates Court as a summary offence, can range from a fine to imprisonment up to 12 months.