Zimbabwe team manager Babu Meman and test cricketers Vusimusi Sibanda and Waddington Mwayenga were released from police custody on Monday after being questioned for two days on taxation and foreign currency issues.
They were arrested Saturday at the Harare Academy cricket grounds and held under the Exchange Control Act over their foreign currency earnings from test matches and international match fees.
Babu Meman, who has managed the national team for several years, together with batsman Vusimusi Sibanda and seam bowler Waddington Mwayenga, were arrested on Saturday following a tip-off about their foreign currency earnings from Test match and One Day International match fees.
But Meman told journalists on Monday: ”We are in the process of being released right now. I don’t foresee any hiccups and there are no restrictions on us. I believe the instruction to let us go came from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.”
Meman added: ”We know who caused this mischief, but he has failed except to give anxiety for our families.”
Local government-controlled daily newspaper The Herald ran a story Monday with the headline, ”Cricketers arrested in forex scam.”
Other test cricketers were warned on Sunday by Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) officials to go into hiding.
The Herald also ran a statement from ZC chairperson Peter Chingoka and managing director Osias Bvute claiming they’re still in control of the country’s cricket administration.
A crisis meeting of ZC got under way Monday at Harare Sports Club under senior director Judge Ahmed Abrahim. About 40-50 directors, provincial and club chairpersons, the national coach, players and selectors met to consider what Ebrahim called ”the way forward”. Chingoka and Bvute were notably absent when the meeting got underway.
Two leading Zimbabwe cricketers and a well-known official, arrested Saturday on charges of violating foreign exchange rules, were set to be released Monday.
Detectives were expected to question Chingoka and Bvute as part of their investigations into alleged foreign currency violations.
Problems at ZC led to the resignation two weeks ago of national team captain Tatenda Taibu.
He and other players had earlier teamed up with the country’s seven provincial chairpersons in a bid to have Chingoka sacked and Bvute suspended. — Sapa-AFP