Zimbabwe Cricket fights back over Taibu graft claims

Zimbabwe Cricket fights back over Taibu graft claims

• Court orders ZC to open their books for audit

• ZC fires national team coach

• Zimbabwe snub Kenya over planned tour

• Sri Lanka complete Zimbabwe whitewash

• Zimbabwe crush Ireland in tri-series

• Masakadza leads Zimbabwe rout of Canada

• Taibu to fight assault charge

• Zimbabwe retained as full ICC member, opts out of Twenty20

• ECB cuts ties with ZC, tour cancelled

• ICC clears Zimbabwe Cricket of financial impropriety

• UK threat to deny visa to Chingoka

Posted to the web: 15/12/2008 02:20:51
ZIMBABWE Cricket has taken the extraordinary step of publicly rejecting corruption claims against it made by former skipper Tatenda Taibu in his on-going trial on an assault charge.

Taibu, 25, was arrested in September over allegations of assaulting ZC general manager Esther Lupepe.

In court last week, Taibu’s lawyer Jonathan Samkange said: “Zimbabwe Cricket has been using the police and the courts as instruments to threaten and deprive its employees of their money. That is corruption and I am going to expose them.

"I have a number of cases to refer to and I am going to use those cases together with my client’s (Taibu) to expose them (ZC).”

And Taibu, dismissing the charges as trumped-up, said he was being framed in an attempt to silence him and stop him from claiming money that he is owed by the association as well as to embarrass and punish him for his criticism of the board.

He said he had raised concern over the handling of board funds, dubious employment of staff members and poor remuneration of players just a few days before he was arrested on September 30.

Magistrate Tapiwa Godzi ordered ZC to submit documents showing its payroll, sponsorship deals and grants from the International Cricket Council.

In an emailed statement to New Zimbabwe.com, ZC spokesman Lovemore Banda said the ZC had nothing to do with the trial and they were bemused by the court’s order to open their books.

Banda said: “Mrs Esther Lupepe took the matter against Tatenda Taibu to court in her personal capacity. Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) is not involved and Mrs Lupepe was at pains to point this out in court. How can ZC then be ordered to open books for audit in a personal case?

“Indeed, Mrs Lupepe further pointed this out to the court and said she would have to ask ZC for permission to bring the requested documents to court.
“As for Taibu saying the charges are meant to embarrass him, he is the one who phoned Mrs Lupepe on the day at issue, asked where she was and, upon being told, said he was on the way there.

“In other words, he is the one who sought a meeting with Mrs Lupepe. How could she then trump up charges against the same Taibu when he was actually the one who asked, and then came, to meet him?

“The issue of the handling of Board funds is water under the bridge. In June 2007, the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Zimbabwe Cricket agreed to have a joint review of the audit covering the two financial years ending April 2005 and December 2005, and a statutory audit for the financial year ending December 2006.

“The ICC Audit Committee and ZC agreed that the outcome of the audit would be accepted by both parties and all the stakeholders as a true reflection of the position of the accounts of ZC as at the 31st of December 2006, and that the result would be accepted by all and sundry to bury the past events which had led to acrimony between ZC and its stakeholders.”

Banda also rejected claims of corruption against the association.
“As for dubious employment of staff members,” he said, “ZC is a professional organisation and Taibu will be hard-pressed to find evidence to back his allegation.

“The issue of poor remuneration of players is really a non-starter because each individual player negotiates their contract with the relevant committee and only signs when they are satisfied with the conditions.”

Prosecutors say Taibu grabbed Lupepe by the collar of her jacket after confronting her over his outstanding salary.

A conviction would likely result in a fine and the shaming of one of Zimbabwe’s brightest young cricket stars.

Taibu, it is alleged, called Lupepe on her mobile phone asking for a meeting. He was directed to meet her at Africa Tour in downtown Harare.

After arriving at the premises, Taibu is alleged to have demanded to know why his outstanding salary had not been settled to which Changadama said the money would be transferred to his account a day later.

At that point, the star, capped 52 times in test matches and 64 times in ODIs for his country, is claimed to have grabbed Changadama by the collar of her jacket, prompting Tour Africa staff to come to her aid.

Police were called leading to the wicket-keeper’s arrest.

Taibu, who succeeded Heath Streak as captain, made his first-class debut aged just sixteen, and his debut for the national team in 2001, aged eighteen.

In 2003, he was appointed vice-captain to Heath Streak on the team's tour of England, and he was appointed national captain in April 2004 following the departure of several 'rebel' players, who resigned from the national team in a dispute with Zimbabwe Cricket.

He impressed many with his mature outlook and leading by example and was regarded as one of the few genuinely Test-standard players in a very weak side.

In November 2005, he held a press conference on behalf of 74 Zimbabwe players denouncing the management of Zimbabwe Cricket. This led to death threats against him and his family, as well as criticism of him in the Zimbabwean media. He also failed to agree a new contract with Zimbabwe Cricket and ended his international career at the age of 22.

He made his return to the Zimbabwean side in a series against India A in July 2007, registering a century. The following month Zimbabwe hosted South Africa for a 3 games ODI series and in the final game Taibu scored a career best 107 not out. It was the first ODI century by a Zimbabwean against South Africa.
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