SAMUELS. had denied any wrongdoing, but following an internal WICB investigation into bribery allegations, the regional cricket body found there was enough evidence to charge him with misconduct

ST JOHN'S, Antigua (CMC) - West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels has been found guilty of violating International Cricket Council (ICC) rules over his connections with an Indian bookmaker and is poised to be slapped with a two-year ban.

The West Indies Cricket Board said in a press release yesterday that their disciplinary committee found by "majority opinion" at a hearing Friday that Samuels was guilty of violating the ICC Rules of Conduct 4 (ix) in that he "received money, benefit or other reward which could bring him or the game of cricket into disrepute".

This violation carries a minimum two-year ban, effective from May 9, 2008, the date of the hearing, but the panel has written to the WICB president Dr Julian Hunte suggesting their punishment should not be so harsh, given very favourable affidavits submitted by reputable persons about the Jamaican's character.

Suggesting that a suspended sentence would be a more appropriate action, the panel of chairman, Mr Justice Adrian Saunders, Dr Lloyd Barnett, Professor Aubrey Bishop and Mr Richie Richardson, expressed concern about the propriety of prescribing mandatory minimum punishments generally and particularly for the specific offence with which Samuels was charged.

"Given the circumstances that attended Mr Samuels' commission of the offence and in light of the unchallenged evidence we received as to Mr Samuels' character, if we had the power so to recommend, we would have recommended that Mr Samuels be bound over to be of good behaviour for a period not exceeding two years," the WICB quoted the panel as stating.

The WICB release said the committee dismissed a second charge that "Mr Samuels engaged in conduct which, in the opinion of the Executive Board, relates directly or indirectly to the Rules of Conduct ie (i) to (xiii) and is prejudicial to the interests of the game of cricket".

The hearing came about after the ICC, the sport's world governing body, instructed the WICB to launch its own investigation into the alleged connections with the alleged bookie, which were raised by Indian police on West Indies' tour of India in February 2007.

After receiving a report from its Anti-corruption & Security Unit, the ICC said that the report contained allegations that Samuels indulged in "inappropriate activity" and behaved in a manner that was "prejudicial to the interests of the game of cricket".

Phone conversations between Samuels and alleged Indian bookie Mukesh Kochchar were taped by the Nagpur police on the eve of the One-Day International between India and West Indies on January 21, 2007.

Samuels had denied any wrongdoing, but following an internal WICB investigation into bribery allegations, the regional cricket body found there was enough evidence to charge him with misconduct.

The panel has promised that reasoned written decisions will follow shortly.

In the meantime, the decision and recommendations of the panel have been sent to the ICC, which reserves the right to reopen the case.

According to ICC rules, there is no appeal allowed over a ruling on this matter.

Samuels, who made his Test debut as a 19-year-old against Australia in Adelaide in December 2000, has played 29 Test matches and 107 One-Day Internationals for the West Indies.

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