Fake Sheikh ‘spot-fixing players’ to face no further action, says CPS

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jan/14/fake-sheikh-spot-fixing-players-no-action-cps

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Thirteen footballers who were arrested over allegations of spot-fixing after an undercover sting by Mazher Mahmood will face no further action. The players, including the former Premier League striker DJ Campbell and the former Portsmouth defender Sam Sodje, were detained in dawn raids by the National Crime Agency after Mahmood’s Sun on Sunday exposé in December 2013.

In a front-page sting headlined Ex-Prem Stars In Match Fix Probe, a number of players were accused of agreeing to earn bookings in exchange for tens of thousands of pounds. The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed on Wednesday the players are to face no further action due to there being insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction.

The decision is an embarrassing blow to the National Crime Agency, which arrested the footballers hours after receiving evidence handed over by Mahmood. The investigation faltered in July last year following the collapse of the Tulisa Contostavlos trial over concerns about evidence provided by the so-called Fake Sheikh.

Those arrested included Campbell, who plays for Maidenhead, the former Oldham Athletic midfielder Cristian Montaño and the former Tranmere Rovers defender Ian Goodison. Also held were Sodje and his brothers Akpo – a former striker with Tranmere – and Stephen.

The Sodjes’ lawyer, Nick Green of Kaufman Legals, said: “We have received notification the CPS are not to institute criminal proceedings. This is no more than we expected but the crown are silent in respect of the discredited Mr Mahmood.

“Even before the judge’s ruling in the Tulisa case we had made a cross-complaint against Mr Mahmood regarding the Sodjes allegation he had acted in a criminal fashion. After this length of time both the public and the Sodjes should be notified what action is being taken [if any] against this man-cited by the recorder of Westminster as having perjured himself, resulting in the collapse of the prosecution against Tulisa.”

The CPS is reviewing 25 convictions over concerns about evidence provided by Mahmood in his long career as an undercover reporter for the News of the World, Sunday Times and Sun on Sunday. The CPS announced its decision not to press charges late on Wednesday, only after being approached by the Guardian.

A CPS spokeswoman said: “A file was passed to the CPS in July 2014 from the National Crime Agency in relation to alleged football match-fixing in 2013. This case involved evidence in relation to 13 suspects.

“The reliability of the evidence of one alleged witness in particular had to be very carefully considered in light of recent events in the trial of R v Contostavlos and Coombs. This was not the only evidence that was considered and when all the evidence submitted by investigators was carefully reviewed in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors it was decided that there was insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction.

“We have informed the NCA of this decision and they have written to the defendants announcing that no further action will be taken.

“Any decision by the CPS does not imply any finding concerning guilt or criminal conduct; the CPS makes decisions only according to the test set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors and it is applied in all decisions on whether or not to prosecute.”

A NCA spokeswoman said: “The National Crime Agency confirmed today that on the advice of the Crown Prosecution Service it has written to 13 individuals arrested in connection with a football related match/spot-fixing investigation to inform them that no further action is to be taken.

“The men were released from bail in July 2014 following an adverse judicial comment during an unrelated trial where criminal proceedings were stayed. The NCA takes allegations of bribery and corruption extremely seriously and will pursue investigations where it is in the public interest to do so.”