Indian national sentence over match-fixing: First of its kind in SL history
Kandy High Court judge Darshika Wimalasiri has ordered Indian national Akash Pachlodia to pay a fine of Rs. 11 million after he pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted match-fixing during the Legends Cricket Tournament held in Pallekele. Pachlodia, who served as the manager of Punjab Royals, one of the teams in the tournament, was also sentenced to two years and six months
of rigorous imprisonment, suspended for 10 years, contingent upon his failure to pay
the imposed fine.
This case marks a historic first, as it is the inaugural instance of an individual being prosecuted and fined under the 2019 No. 24 Prevention of Offences Related to Sports Act. The fine imposed is unprecedented in its magnitude.
Pachlodia was accused of approaching English cricketer Neil Mustard and New Zealand cricketer Nell Trevor Brut in their hotel rooms, attempting to coerce them into underperforming in exchange for a reward of Rs. 100,000.
Although the Attorney General had initially set a date for the trial, Pachlodia’s guilty plea led to the Kandy High Court’s verdict being issued last week. State Counsel Tharaka Kodagoda with Senior State Counsel Udara Karunaratne, representing the prosecution, emphasised the importance of imposing a significant fine to safeguard the integrity of sports and deter future malpractices.
President’s Counsel Tilak Marapana, who appeared the defendant, argued that his client was not one of the major figures in this incident and appealed for a reduction in the sentence, citing Pachlodia’s immediate guilty plea. Supul Vidanagae, the officer-in-charge of police Special Investigation Unit of the Ministry of Sports led the investigation.