The Matale Magistrate’s Court has prohibited Indian cricket manager Yoni Patel who is accused of match-fixing during the 2024 Legends Cricket Trophy in Sri Lanka, from leaving the country.
Matale Magistrate Ravindra Premaratne ordered Patel’s passport to be handed over to the court and for the Immigration and Emigration Department to be informed of the travel ban.
The Judge also released Yoni Patel on two sureties of Rs. 500,000 each and a cash bail of Rs. 500,000.
Earlier, the court had indicted Yoni Patel, the owner of the Kandy Samp Army team, on charges of match-fixing during the cricket tournament held in Kandy.
An investigation was launched after a retired Sri Lankan cricketer and a New Zealand cricketer had alleged that Yoni Patel and his assistant Pachalodia Akash had approached them to fix matches during the Legends Cricket Tournament.
Sri Lanka is the first South Asian nation to criminalize several offences related to match-fixing, while this is the first case to be heard under the new regulations.
Offenders could face up to 10 years in jail and fines of up to $555,000 for match-fixing under laws introduced by Sports Minister Harin Fernando in 2019. (Newswire)