NEWS
SCHEDULES
COLUMNS
PREVIOUS TOURS
OTHER SPORTS
STATISTICS
INTERVIEWS
SLIDE SHOW
ARCHIVES

Cassim's June 26 testimony

MR MANCA: Were you or were you not assisting Mr Chawla?

MR CASSIM: In which way was I assisting Mr Chawla?

MR MANCA: I haven't asked you in which way you were assisting Mr Chawla, I have asked you whether you were assisting Mr Chawla, yes or no?

MR CASSIM: I told you I have assisted Mr Chawla in getting into contact with Mr Cronjé.

MR MANCA: Thank you. And in fact you did that on a number of occasions on your version?

MR CASSIM: As I told you.

MR MANCA: So when Mr Cronjé says in his affidavit in his statement at paragraph 44 and I'll read it to you because I don't have a copy for you at this stage, Mr Cronjé says - "I initially had no intention of involving other players. I thought I could satisfy Sanjay by forecasting outcomes, Sanjay was not satisfied". And then he says, Mr Cronjé says - "In the build-up to the tests..." is what Mr Cronjé says, "...the pressure on me increased. I received calls on a regular basis from Hamid and Sanjay". Mr Cronjé is correct is he?

MR CASSIM: Just read that again please.

MR MANCA: "In the build-up to the tests..." so says Mr Cronjé "...the pressure on him increased. I received calls on a regular basis from Hamid and Sanjay. " Mr Cronjé is correct?

MR CASSIM: Cronjé is correct, yes.

MR MANCA: Now Mr Cronjé goes on in his statement to say that he had given certain information to Mr Sanjay Chawla in relation to the One-day international, the first One-day international at Cochin(?) the import of what Mr Cronjé says is that Mr Chawla was angry with that and he says that when he got back to the hotel Sanjay was upset because we had scored too many runs and I blamed the Indian wicket keeper. That's at paragraph 50 of his statement. Then Mr Cronjé says the following.

MR WITZ: Mr Commissioner, I'm sorry to interrupt my learned friend unnecessarily. I'd prefer it if a copy of what he's putting to the witness could be placed in front of the witness. We don't have a copy of this statement. Possibly we could take a short adjournment and he could place a copy, give the witness an adequate opportunity of dealing with the questions because he's reading bits and pieces, heads and tails. If he can rather put the whole document that he intends cross-examining. I've got no objection if he cross-examines on it but if he could put it in front of the witness in all fairness ...(intervention)

MR MANCA: I'll do that Mr Commissioner.

COMMISSIONER: You've got this Mr Cronjé statement there now have you Mr - no not yet, I beg your pardon. Now you have it.

MR MANCA: Yes, Mr Commissioner. At paragraph 51 of that statement Mr Cronjé says the following. "Hamid kept phoning me and saying that I should speak to Sanjay who was now worse off than before, that he needed to win some money and that I would have to deliver something." Do you recall that, do recall saying that to Mr Cronjé?

MR CASSIM: No.

MR MANCA: You don't recall saying it?

MR CASSIM: No.

MR MANCA: It's possible that you said it?

MR CASSIM: This I did not say to Mr Cronjé.

MR MANCA: You didn't say this to Mr Cronjé?

MR CASSIM: Definitely not.

MR MANCA: What were you phoning him then about? Let me put it to you differently. Let's work out what exactly you didn't say to him.

MR CASSIM: Now that I have this copy here of what Mr Cronjé said, can I read this out.

MR MANCA: I'll take it to you very slowly and if you think I'm being unfair I'm sure Mr Witz will interject and if you don't understand me please tell me. Let's go from the top. Paragraph 51.

MR WITZ: Sorry Mr Commissioner if I could also be provided with a copy of this statement, we haven't been given a copy of this statement. So I can follow myself. We were given initially a draft statement that's been changed so possibly we can just take a short adjournment of possibly a few minutes so I can get a copy.

COMMISSIONER: You're entitled to have one, you must be provided with one. That's the original so don't put exclamation marks or anything on it please. Right you've got it now.

MR MANCA: Alright Mr Cassim paragraph 51. This says- "Subsequent to the first One-day international at Cochin..." that's the timeframe and Mr Cronjé says the following -"Hamid kept phoning me." Can we stop there for a moment? That's correct, you kept phoning him. We've been down this road, twenty to thirty calls, that's correct isn't it.

Click here for more....