Gibbs set to travel to India with lawyers

CAPE TOWN—South Africa’s Herschelle Gibbs is likely to travel to India for the Champions Trophy in October, as significant efforts are being made to resolve any legal issues regarding his and Nicky Boje’s questioning by Indian police in the match-fixing scandal.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated in South Africa, Gibbs said that he would make the trip. “Ja, I am going to go” he told features editor Mark van Dijk. “But my lawyer’s coming with me. I’ve put forward a proposal to Cricket South Africa, which was discussed on Thursday. I’ve proposed that my lawyer and I will travel with the team, and once we get to the hotel, they can then do the questioning at the hotel.
“I’ve got the 18 questions that they want to ask me. It’s basically exactly the same stuff that I answered at the King Commission. I’ll just be repeating myself.”
Gibbs said that the delays were all at the Indian end. “They haven’t really played their part,” he shrugged. “You know, we’ve asked them many a time to come question me on neutral territory, and they refuse. So it’s not like I haven’t made the effort. It’s them being hard-arses. That’s it.”
However, KK Paul, the Delhi Police commissioner, rebutted the claim. “I haven’t recieved any such communication,” he told Cricinfo. “If he has to say anything, let him communicate through the board. So far, I haven’t recieved any such offers from the board or from him.”
Gibbs said he did not feel that there was a real issue with Boje. “Nicky’s situation is slightly different, because I don’t think he’s going to be playing in India again,” he explained. “He’s not going to be in the squad. So he doesn’t really have much. For him it’s more a case of clearing his name than anything else.”
Tony Irish, the secretary general of the South African Players’ Association, said both players would act on the guidance of legal advisors.

—Agencies