adminThe Independent Asiagate Ethic committee chaired by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ahmed Ebrahim resumed sitting yesterday for the last lap of their interviews with various stakeholders aimed at bringing the matter to finality.
The committee is expected to also recommend sanctions for those they would have found guilty and clear those individuals who are innocent but were fingered in the Zifa report last year.
But according to sources close to Fifa’s global investigation into the scourge of match fixing, jailed Singaporean national Wilson Raj Perumal allegedly facilitated a link between the game’s administrators in Zimbabwe and various national associations as the betting and match-fixing syndicate took root in the Warriors game.
There was communication mostly via email, which was gleaned from Perumal, who in now doing time in a Hungarian jail having been transferred from a Finland prison for his role in global match-fixing.
Zifa are on their part are still to get a full appraisal of the report compiled by former Fifa head of security Chris Eaton who was in the country last year to probe match-fixing in the country on behalf of the world soccer governing body.
However, one Laurent Dialo, claiming to be an officer within Fifa tasked with handling Fifa president Sepp Blatter’s “football business’’ alleged that the world body had since closed the match fixing case on Zifa as it was reportedly threatening to cause trouble for the world soccer governing body and some of their World Cup sponsors.
“Dear Henrietta, my name is Laurent Dialo and I work for the Fifa president, managing his private football business and am responsible of making sure everything is OK with his office.
“Recently there has been a problem with Zimbabwe’s investigations into alleged match fixing and in the report are some submissions that have caused Mr President (Blatter) serious problems with sponsors of the World Cup.
“For this reason, Mr Valcke tasked me, and gave me your personal addressing, advising that you are the only person at the moment who can help with some information we need,’’ wrote Dialo to Rushwaya.
Dialo even claimed that Fifa were eager to spend some money to ensure the Zifa probe does not impact on their image.
There are questions however on whether Dialo is really a Fifa employee working in Blatter’s office.
But it is Perumal who was at the hub of most of the Warriors’ controversial trips in which the senior team were allegedly paid to lose matches.
The different communication between Perumal, his accomplices and, his Zimbabwean contacts also point to the Singaporian as being heavily involved in the organistion of the matches.
Ironically the Zifa probe team led by Ndumiso Gumede noted that Perumal was the man behind securing the Warriors Asian opponents on their controversial trips to the Far East.
Gumede and his committee also alleged that former Zifa programmes officer Jonthan Musavengana, local Fifa agent Kudzi Shaba and Rushwaya were the local masterminds of the scam, an allegation that the trio has denied.
Rushwaya recently saw charges of alleged match-fixing against her being withdrawn at the magistrates court with the state electing to proceed by way of summons should they find compelling evidence against her.
She had been hauled before the court folwing her arrest by the Anti-corruption commission.
It however emerged that Perumal, it emerged had established himself with some of the football associations in Asia as evidenced by communication such as one in which Zifa were being asked to get in touch with him for confirmation of the Warriors match against Vietnam in October 2007.
“Thank you very much for your email confirming the participation of your National Team in the Agribank Cup 2007, which is staging from 1 – 5 November, 2007 in Hanoi, Vietnam (team arriving on 30 Oct and depart on 6 Nov, 2006).
“Your request on the financial clarification, we have stated in the letter of invitation and further information in this regard please contact directly with Mr. Raj Parumal — Your representative is authorised by Zifa to arrange the participation of your team in friendly tournament .
With our best regard.
Le Hoai Anh
Executive Secretary
Vietnam Football Federation’’.
Perumal is also quoted in communication to Zifa promising the association US$50 000 for taking part in four-nation tournament in Thailand.
The Singaporean and his friends also facilitated Monomotapa’s trip to Malyasia in 2009 where the 2008 champions masqueraded as the Warriors and even wore national colours on the tour.
The current Zifa leadership have insisted they could not find any paper trail on all the money allegedly paid as participation fees for all the trips.
In 2009 Raj also wrote to Rushwaya and dangled a US$10 000 carrot to her for arranging the trip.
Online Reporter