Johannesburg - Former Lions cricketer Jean Symes, 37, appeared in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crime Court on March 27, 2023, where he faced a charge of corruption under the Prevention of Corrupt Activities Act (PRECCA).
According to Hawks spokesperson Captain Lloyd Ramovha, Symes was found guilty and sentenced to four years imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years, on the condition he was not convicted of committing a similar offence in terms of PRECCA during the period of suspension.
"This comes after the anti-corruption officer at Cricket SA received information from a whistle-blower about alleged match-fixing planned for the 2015/2016 domestic Ram Slam T20 Cricket Challenge," said Ramovha.
According to Ramovha, the matter was brought to the attention of the Hawks' Serious Corruption Investigation team based in Pretoria, and an investigation was conducted.
"The investigation revealed that a former Protea cricket player, Mr Gulam Bodi, was approached by bookmakers from India to identify and recruit cricket players to participate in the scheme.“
“Mr Bodi also approached Mr Symes, who accepted a gratification of the equivalent of $2 500 (approximately R30 000) to participate in the scheme. Pumelela Matshikwe, 37, was sentenced for the same offence by the same court on Friday, June 10, 2022."
This, according to Ramovha, was after he admitted to having received a total of R50 000 as an enticement to participate in match-fixing during the said tournament.
"He also received a five-year sentence," said Ramovha.
The investigation, initiated by Cricket South Africa, implicated the cricketers for their role in the conspiracy.
"They were banned for between seven and 20 years by the International Cricket Council (ICC). A former Proteas, Lions, and Titans player, Gulam Bodi, was the first to be convicted in this case to five years imprisonment in October 2019 after he admitted to charges of attempting to fix matches in the same series."
"Bodi acted as an intermediary for international betting syndicates, approaching certain players with a view to engaging in fixing activities during the competition," added Ramovha.
The Star