Suspended IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi on Tuesday received four documentary 'proofs' of his alleged wrongdoings from the Board of Control for Cricket in India, which said it could not offer other evidences since those were of verbal nature.
Modi's lawyer Mehmood S Abdi said, after receiving the documents from the BCCI headquarters, that out of 10 references in the show cause notice, for which the suspended IPL chief wanted documentary proof, only four were given while the rest, he was told, were by nature of oral communications only.
"We had asked for some documents from the Board. We needed documentary support for at least 10 references made in the show cause notice out of which four have been provided to us today," Abdi said.
"Board secretary (N Srinivasan) has written in an e-mail to Mr Modi that other references made in the show cause notice for which we wanted documentary support were oral transactions or verbal communications and there is no documentary proof for those," Modi's counsel said.
Modi had asked for documents from the BCCI for mounting his defence against the first show cause notice that has charged him with financial irregularities and bid-rigging in the IPL.
Abdi said the four documents handed over to him included an agreement, two letters, one e-mail and a copy of shareholding pattern of an IPL franchisee.
It was learned that the letters and e-mails pertained to Nimbus communications, who are the BCCI's broadcast rights holders for international and domestic cricket organised in India.
Abdi also said that Modi, on his part, had handed over all the documents that were asked for by the BCCI following the voluminous second lot that he had delivered to the Board on Monday.
"So far they have not asked for anything more. In fact, only last evening I had given them the second lot of documents which, from our side, is full and final. Still if the BCCI want anything more from us we are ready to give," he said.
Modi, who was suspended by the BCCI on April 26, has been given an extra five days by the BCCI to reply to the charges that includes alleged irregularities in broadcast and internet deals.
The new deadline for Modi is May 15.
Queried about Modi's future course, Abdi said, "Let's go through the documents what we have got right now and then we will decide. As of now, yes, we are ready to file by 15th."
"This development has given a very interesting twist to the story. This much I can say," he added.
The following documents were handed over to Abdi by the BCCI on Tuesday:
1. Copy of Statutory Register of Jaipur IPL Cricket Private Limited and copy of Register of Shareholders as on July 15, 2009 of EM Sporting Holdings Ltd.
2. Copy of Media Rights Agreement, that is audiovisual rights agreement signed on February 28, 2008 between Nimbus and BCCI, including Addendum Agreement dated March 29 and June 2, 2007 and February 2, 2008.
3. Copy of e-mail dated December 6, 2007 from Yannick Colaco, Executive Vice President of Nimbus Sports.
4. Copies of two letters dated October 9 and 10, 2008 from Colaco.