The Delhi Police on Thursday said South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs was part of the match-fixing "conspiracy" in 2000, having admitted that he received monetary offers twice to under-perform during matches.
Six years after the biggest scandal to hit cricket broke, Gibbs, who is on his first visit to India for the ongoing Champions Trophy, appeared along with his lawyer, Peter Whelan, before a team of Delhi Police officials for interrogation.
- All about the match-fixing scandal
Joint-Commissioner of Police Ranjit Narayan, who headed a five-man interrogating team, told a press conference on Thursday afternoon that Gibbs confessed that he did receive offers twice to "under-perform in return of certain amount of money" from his late captain, Hansie Cronje.
Earlier report: Delhi police grills Gibbs for three hours
"This makes him a partner in conspiracy with his former captain Hansie Cronje, who had made this offer. He named some players of the South African team who are no longer there in the national squad. He has given one more name besides the names we already know," Narayan said, though refusing to disclose that one name.
"We would let you know in due course," he said, with a broad smile, adding that no Indian player was named in the course of the interrogation.
Asked if Gibbs did receive money to under-perform, Narayan did not give a direct reply. "He said that he had received the offer."
The Delhi Police had registered an First Information Report -- No 111'2000 u/s 420,34/120B of the Indian Penal Code -- on 6.4..2000 at Chankaya Puri police station.
"The process of questioning Gibbs started after the ICC chief executive called on Dr K K Paul, Commissioner of Police, and asked him to expedite the questioning. It was after that meeting that Gibbs agreed to come," Narayan informed.
He rejected claims that the Delhi Police has given Gibbs an assurance of not being arrested if he co-operated with the interrogation.
"It was worth our while to question him but we would not require him for another round of interrogation during Champions Trophy. But he has agreed to come again," he said..
"The interrogation took place in a manner in which we had wanted. All the gaps and loopholes have been filled and we can now take the investigation forward," Narayan said, adding his team is still awaiting a reply to a Letter Rogatory (LR) which had been sent to South African authorities in 2000.
Asked how would his team be able to link Gibbs with other information his team has without bank records of Cronje, Sanjeev Chawla, the London-based bookie who is alleged to have made the offer to Cronje to throw matches, Narayan replied, "I am sure that the relevant information will come, as we have sent Lettler Rogatory to the South African government."
He claimed that Gibbs apologised to Dr K K Paul for making derogatory remarks about the Delhi Police and its chief.
"We had to take him to the General Officers' Mess in Daryaganj to have a sustained and uninterrupted questioning," Naryanan added.
