When International Cricket Council Chief Executive Malcolm Speed called on Dr K K Paul, Delhi's Commissioner of Police, on July 26, he requested an explanation on the complexities of match-fixing and the kind of money that could be involved in the malpractice.
In an exclusive chat with rediff.com, Dr Paul said Speed was satisfied by the time he left the Delhi Police headquarters.
- All about the match-fixing scandal
"We were told by the Board for Control of Cricket in India that Malcolm Speed wanted to come and see us. I told them we have no hesitation in receiving him. He came and had a meeting with us on July 26 and we discussed the match-fixing episode for almost half an hour. He left satisfied with the case that we had registered and the kind of evidence we had been able to collect."
"No official of the BCCI [Board of Control for Cricket in India] accompanied Speed," Paul clarified.
He denied the suggestion that it was after the meeting between Speed and him that Herschelle Gibbs agreed to come and depose before the Delhi Police.
Talking about Gibbs's interrogation, Paul said the South Africa batsman had given the Delhi Police enough information to carry forward the probe. He was also satisfied that Gibbs apologised to his force and him in person for comments -- Gibbs had called Paul a 'hard arse' -- he had made.
A day after Gibbs was whisked out of the Delhi Police headquarters through the backdoor, senior police officers were joking about the kind of treatment given to him when he presented himself for interrogation in the match-fixing scandal of 2000 on Thursday.
"He was received more like a prospective son-in-law and was accompanied by the High Commissioner of South Africa, who led the baarat.
"While junior officers kept the media at bay and gave the impression that Gibbs was very much in the building, the opening batsman was sipping cups of tea and coffee and answering questions without any fear, because he knew that he would not be arrested. But don't quote us," said a police officer.
