Mukhlesur, Rakibul reject BPL fixing charges

Mukhlesur Rahman Shahin and Rakibul Islam, two of the three former Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials charged with involvement in fixing in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) – have denied any wrongdoing, insisting they have fully cooperated with the inquiry committee and are yet to receive any official communication from the board.

Mukhlesur – former board director and chairman of the audit committee during Aminul Islam Bulbul’s tenure as BCB president –faces four charges under the ICC Anti-Corruption Code for Participants 2024, according to a statement issued by the BCB on Tuesday.

The charges are: fixing or attempting to fix any aspect of a match during the 12th edition of the BPL (Article 2.1.1); soliciting or facilitating another participant to engage in corrupt conduct (Article 2.1.4); failing to promptly report any approach to fix matches to the Designated Anti-Corruption Official (DACO) (Article 2.4.4); and obstructing the investigation by concealing or destroying evidence (Article 2.4.7).

“I had no idea about the press release beforehand. I was in regular contact with the Anti-Corruption Unit of the BCB, but did not get any hint about it,” Mukhlesur told Daily Waadaa from London.

“Out of nowhere today [Tuesday], there were some reports about this on some media outlets for five to six hours, and then the BCB issued the statement out of the blue,” he added.

Rakibul shared his surprise.

“I have received no communication from the BCB. I had spoken earlier today [Tuesday] with a member of the inquiry committee. The inquiry is still ongoing. So, how could they name us as accused right now?” he said.

Against Rakibul, a former councillor for Bogura district and a member secretary of the BCB audit committee, there are two charges, first for breaching Article 2.4.4 and second for failing or refusing, without compelling justification, to cooperate with an investigation carried out by the DACO (Article 2.4.6).

Both Mukhlesur and Rakibul claimed they had multiple sessions with the BCB’s Integrity Unit (BCBIU) which conducted the probe but were not asked about any particular act of match or spot fixing.

“I had a three-hour session with them in January and then a two-hour video conference sometime in April or May. I had surrendered my phone to them, provided all information. I urged them, if there is any corruption, please bring it up,” Mukhlesur said.

“I had three sessions with the investigators in March,” Rakibul said. “They never brought up any specific match. And how would I know about the BPL, I was a member secretary in Bogura, I joined the audit committee after Mukhlesur left.”

Earlier in January, sports journalist Riasad Azim accused Mukhlesur of being involved in fixing in the BPL on his personal social media outlets.

Soon after the report, Mukhlesur stepped down from his position, but continued as board director and explained his reasoning in a social media post.

“This decision has been taken to ensure a completely neutral, transparent and credible investigation. It should not be seen as an admission of guilt. Rather, it reflects my responsibility to protect the reputation of Bangladesh cricket and the institution.”

Mukhlesur said he was asked about that report during his sessions with the BCBIU, but was not presented with any new evidence.

“Riasad claimed I am involved in fixing, he has long been threatening with a second episode. Even I am waiting for that second episode to drop. It has just turned into a media trial at the end of the day,” he said.

Rakibul felt the BCB suddenly announcing their names was an attempt to divert attention from the fact that the next edition of the BPL has been put on hold.

“Earlier, some players would claim they would go hungry if there was no BPL. Now what happened?... Tamim is trying to distract people from the BPL issue with this, that’s all.”

Rakibul, who is also a member of the National Citizen’s Party’s (NCP’s) youth wing Jatiya Jubo Shakti, also claimed he is a ‘victim of political vendetta’.

“I became the councillor from Bogura for the 2025 BCB polls. A BNP leader of the region did not like that, he wanted that position. After our board was broken, and the Tamim-led board came into power, several people instigated him against me.”

In the statement, the BCB said that the accused “have 14 (fourteen) days from receipt of the Notices of Charge to respond to the charges.”

However, both Mukhlesur and Rakibul have claimed not to have received any such notice from the BCB as of yet.

“I have not received any official letter from the BCB till now. They have given us a 14-day window to respond. But what am I supposed to respond to, a press release?” Mukhlesur said.

The BCB also informed in the statement that it would “not make any further comment in respect of these matters at this stage.”

Former security liaison officer Zakir Hossain is the third accused, who has been charged with breaching Articles 2.1.1, 2.1.4 and 2.4.6.