Cronje & Co may skip tour to avoid arrest

Cronje & Co may skip tour to avoid arrest
H NATARAJAN

MUMBAI, APRIL 8: The first casualty of the Delhi Police's charge against South African cricketers Hansie Cronje, Herschelle Gibbs, Nicky Boje and Pieter Strydom could be the upcoming benefit match series between April 24 and May 3.

The South Africans are scheduled to play six benefit matches in Mohali (two matches), Hyderabad, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Mumbai but may drop out because they can be arrested on arrival. Alternatively, the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCBSA) might deny permission to its players to travel. The UCBSA has taken strong exception to the way the Indian police broke the story without taking them into confidence and also by the fact that the visitors' phones were tapped.

As things stand, the only possibility of the South Africans coming under any meaningful trouble from the Indian authorities is if there is any move to seek their extradition. ``If there is an extradition treaty between India and South Africa, then the latter is obliged to send these players to India to face the charges against them,'' says noted lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani.

But even if there is one, it's not easy to get them to India for trial. As Ujawal Nikam, Special Public Prosecutor for the State of Maharashtra, said: ``I am not sure if there is an extradition treaty. But even if it is there it is not easy to get extradition. If the other country takes the opposite view and thinks there is no prima facie case, then extradition is not possible. In any case, the whole process is very time consuming.''

Nikam has personally experienced that, having fought for over two years seeking the extradition of film music director Nadeem from London to face trial in the Gulshan Kumar murder case.