Umar Akmal eligible for rehabilitation program after paying fine

Pakistan’s batsman Umar Akmal is now eligible for the rehabilitation program after paying the complete amount of the fine on Tuesday.

The international court of arbitration for sport had levied a fine of PKR 42,50,000 on the batsman, to be submitted to the treasury of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

According to sources, Akmal has submitted the required amount, in full, to the board officials. However, he will have to wait for further updates regarding his progress since the officials in the anti-corruption unit are currently busy with matters pertaining to the upcoming resumption of the Habib Bank Limited (HBL) Pakistan Super League (PSL) season six.

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Earlier, The PCB had rejected the request made by batsman Umar Akmal to pay his fine in installments.

According to sources, Umar Akmal had claimed that he has been facing financial issues and would not be able to pay the fine completely. That is why the batsman had requested to pay the fine in installments.

The PCB made the decision to reject the request after analysing the details of the accounts provided by Umar Akmal.

On 27 April 2020, the Chairman Disciplinary Panel had found Umar Akmal guilty on two charges of separate breaches of Article 2.4.4 of the PCB Anti-Corruption Code in two unrelated incidents and handed a three-year suspension with the periods of ineligibility to run concurrently.

Umar Akmal exercised his right of appeal and on 29 July 2020, an Independent Adjudicator modified the sentence and reduced the ineligibility period to 18 months.

The Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) then reduced the ban, from 18 to 12 months, on Pakistan’s middle-order batsman Umar Akmal.

A fine of PKR4.25million had also been imposed on the right-hander.