Upul Tharanga's Report Leads to Conviction Of Match Fixer

COLOMBO (News 1st): The Matale High Court has sentenced Indian national Yogi Patel to four years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 85 million for attempting to bribe renowned Sri Lankan cricketer Upul Tharanga to fix matches. 

The court also ordered Patel to pay Rs 2 million in compensation to Tharanga.

It was revealed in court that Patel fled to the United States via sea routes in January this year, evading the legal proceedings. 

High Court Judge Ravindra Premaratne delivered the verdict in Patel's absence.

The charges against Patel stem from an incident during the 2024 Legends Trophy cricket tournament held at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. 

Patel, the owner of the Kandy Samp Army team, allegedly approached Tharanga with a proposal to fix matches for financial gain.

Tharanga reported the incident to the Anti-Corruption Unit, leading to Patel's arrest.

Patel was initially released on bail but later absconded. 

The Attorney General subsequently filed the case under the Prevention of Offences Relating to Sports Act. This case marks the first instance in Sri Lanka where charges of match-fixing have been prosecuted and resulted in a conviction.

It is also reported that this was the first case filed in South Asia, under the Prevention of Offences Relating to Sports Act.

The investigation was conducted by the Special Police Investigation Unit established under the Prevention of Offences Relating to Sports Act No. 24 of 2019.