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Case against Asif dropped

DUBAI: Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Asif is likely to be deported as the case against him for carrying a banned substance has been dropped. The Dubai Public Prosecutor, Mohammad Al Nuaimi, has said that Mr. Asif will be deported from the airport detention centre soon.

A Pakistan embassy official told The Hindu that a decision on the cricketer, who was detained at the airport on June 1 on suspicions of carrying a contraband item in his wallet, was imminent. He added that Mr. Asif is likely to be deported tonight.

The forensic tests that were carried out by the Dubai police, following the cricketer’s detention had established that the substance recovered from him was opium.

The chief prosecutor who had earlier recorded Mr.Asif’s statement had forwarded the case to the Dubai attorney general. The cricketer had not been charge-sheeted.

“The case has been dropped against Mohammad Asif due to insignificance ... he will be deported as soon as the police finalise the procedures. It is definite that he committed the crime of smuggling and possessing 0.24 grams of opium as he was caught red-handed ...”

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