Kamal Ghorui
A Sri Lankan court on Wednesday sentenced the owner of a team in the country’s domestic T20 league to a suspended prison term in a match-fixing case, news agency AFP reported, quoting an official.Bangladesh-born Tamim Rahman, a British national and owner of the Dambulla Thunders, admitted to charges that he had tried to influence a player and arrange betting during the tournament.Following his guilty plea, Rahman was convicted and given a four-year jail sentence, which has been suspended for five years, the court official said, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity.The Colombo high court also imposed a fine of 24 million Sri Lankan rupees (USD 80,000).The conviction was delivered under a strict law introduced in 2019 to curb corruption in sports in Sri Lanka.Rahman was arrested in 2024 after the player involved reported the approach to authorities. It was the first arrest of a Premier League team official since the competition was launched six years ago.He was detained at Colombo airport while attempting to board a flight to Dubai and spent several weeks in custody before being released on bail.The court official said an arrest warrant has been issued for team manager Mujeeb Ur Rehman, a Pakistani national, who is also accused in the case.
