Cricket Canada suspended over allegations of gang-linked corruption

Cricket’s international governing body has suspended Canada over what it described as “serious breaches of its membership obligations”, dealing the latest blow to an organization that critics say has become a “laughing stock” within the sport.

The suspension also comes amid growing concerns that one of Canada’s fastest-growing sports is being influenced by members of a notorious gang that operates with impunity from an Indian prison cell.

The International Cricket Council finalized the suspension at a meeting in Ahmedabad, India, on Sunday amid mounting concerns about the governance of Canada’s national cricket body. The decision follows the freezing of Cricket Canada’s funding in May after allegations that the organization lacked adequate governance systems and had failed to file audited financial statements.

In a statement, Cricket Canada’s new interim chief operating officer, Bhavjit Jauhar, said the ICC suspension was “unexpected” but that the organization won’t challenge the decision. Instead it “remains fully committed to meeting all compliance requirements”. Jauhar said an independent investigation will look into governance and financial controls.

In recent months, Canada’s cricket governing body has been the subject of explosive allegations from the Fifth Estate, CBC’s investigative unit. The show said its wide-ranging investigation found corruption, coercion, evidence of match-fixing and other misconduct within Cricket Canada.

In one instance, the national outlet flagged questionable promotions within the ranks of players and accusations from senior staff that members at the top of the organization were ordering elements of matches to be fixed. One member of the national team told CBC certain players were meant to rise quickly through the ranks – including to the level of captain. Players received threats that they could be killed if they didn’t cooperate.

Because sports betting has grown increasingly sophisticated and the amounts staked have grown so much, gamblers can stake money on possible errors and batting orders.

After the team’s captain made an error in the opening part of a game against New Zealand in February, he was questioned by the ICC’s anti-corruption unit for alleged match-fixing.

Reporting also suggests that allegations of corruption are tied to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, a transnational syndicate run from a Delhi prison cell.

Bishnoi has been linked to a number of killings and attempted assassinations in Canada. Police suspect members of the Bishnoi gang could be responsible for , a Sikh activist shot dead outside his temple in British Columbia. Bishnoi also ordered the killing of Sidhu Moose Wala, a Punjabi rapper with an international following, who was shot dead near his village in Punjab.