Chris Cairns could face 7 years in prison for falsified oath

Chris Cairns was described as an arrogant individual by the prosecutor

Former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns could be imprisoned for allegedly lying in order to win a €1.4 million lawsuit, ESPNCricinfo reports. The prosecution statement termed Cairns as an “arrogant individual” in his hearing at Southwark Crown Court in London.

Cairns appeared in the trial in response to charges of perjury and he was accompanied by his co-defendant Andrew Fitch-Holland who was a former lawyer. They have vehemently rejected the charges which deal with his legal action against Lalit Modi, the former IPL supremo.

The veteran cricketer who had a dogged reputation in his career, had filed a lawsuit against Modi who had denied him admission into the IPL auction back in 2010 by declaring that Cairns was involved in match-fixing in the now-defunct Indian Cricket League. Through a twitter message in 2010, Modi’s startling accusation had effectively tarnished the image of Cairns who was the captain of Chandigarh Lions in the T20 league.

Prosecutor Sasha Wass stated, “The prosecution case against Mr Cairns is that he manipulated the legal system in this country to his advantage. Chris Cairns knew he had been guilty of match-fixing, he knew why he had been suspended and he knew what Mr Modi tweeted about him was true.”

Wass asserted, "But, Mr Cairns was an arrogant individual and very sure of the power he held over the people around him. This is what he did: he lied in witness statements, he lied on oath and he arranged that others should give false evidence on his behalf.”

Admonishing Cairns’ attitude, the prosecutor noted, "After all, the only people who knew for certain that Mr Cairns was engaged in match-fixing were those people who had been match-fixing with him. Why would they want to give evidence to that effect in court? So, Mr Cairns had a free rein: he could protest his good name and spotless reputation to the rooftops, knowing or believing that he was untouchable."

The prosecution also declared that Lou Vincent, a former team-mate of Cairns in both New Zealand and ICL, was persuaded by Fitch-Holland to support his client’s libel suit by giving a fallacious witness statement. Vincent had admitted to accepting money in order to under-perform and was subsequently banned by the England & Wales Cricket Board.

A Skype call was also submitted to the jury. During the call, Fitch-Holland had told Vincent, "If you can literally get a one-paragraph statement that says 'I played in the game, everything seemed okay and end of, it makes it plain that things are a lot more straightforward than they look. Between you and I, we all know some of what is being said is clearly true.”

Vincent had replied, “It's a big ask from me in a legal document to say something that isn't true. I am not proud of what has happened at all and it's hard for me to live with what's gone on."

Wass alluded to the conversation which contained ample proof that all the concerned parties were aware of the fraudulent nature of Cairns’ libel suit. Meanwhile, the trial continues on Monday.

Court told: Arrogance of cricket's "golden boy" led him to believe he would never get caught for match fixing http://t.co/IEdS48Hum9

— nzherald (@nzherald) October 7, 2015