Former BCB director Shamim charged under ICC anti-corruption code alongside two others

The ICC on September 1 charged three individuals with ties to the Bangladesh Cricket Board under its Anti-Corruption Code, in connection with alleged corrupt conduct during the most recent edition of the Bangladesh Premier League.

The three individuals are Muhammad Mukhlesur Rahman Shamim, who served as a BCB director in 2025-26 and as chairman of the board's Audit Committee; Zakir Hossain, who held the position of Security Liaison Officer at the BCB; and Rakibul Islam Sunny, a former BCB councillor representing Bogura District who also served as member-secretary of the BCB Audit Committee. All three have been provisionally suspended. Each has a window of 14 days from the date of receiving their respective Notices of Charge to formally respond to the allegations against them.

As reported by Cricbuzz, the Bangladesh Cricket Board Integrity Unit, known as the BCBIU, conducted the investigations that led to these charges. The probe examined a range of alleged misconduct, including direct corrupt conduct tied to BPL matches, non-disclosure of corrupt approaches, refusal to cooperate with investigators and deliberate obstruction through the concealment or destruction of information. Prior to this announcement, the BCB had already moved against five other individuals in proceedings connected to the same BPL edition.

Shamim carries the heaviest charge sheet among the three. He faces an allegation under Article 2.1.1 for allegedly fixing or improperly influencing the result, progress or conduct of a match in the BPL. A second charge under Article 2.1.4 accuses him of soliciting or encouraging another participant to engage in corrupt conduct. Two further charges address his conduct during the investigation: Article 2.4.4 covers his alleged failure to report a corrupt approach to the designated anti-corruption officer, referred to as the DACO, while Article 2.4.7 relates to alleged obstruction through the concealment, deletion or destruction of communications or information.

Zakir Hossain faces the same match-related allegations as Shamim, with charges filed under Article 2.1.1 and Article 2.1.4. He is additionally charged under Article 2.4.6 for allegedly refusing to cooperate with the DACO's investigation.

Rakibul Islam Sunny is named in two charges. Article 2.4.4 covers his alleged failure to report a corrupt approach to the DACO, and Article 2.4.6 addresses his alleged non-cooperation with the investigation. He does not face the match-fixing or facilitation allegations brought against the other two.

The ICC Anti-Corruption Code sets out a clear immediate obligation for each of the three charged individuals: they must respond to their respective Notices of Charge within 14 days of receipt. The provisional suspensions placed on all three remain active throughout this period and beyond until the process reaches a further stage.

With these three charges now confirmed, at least eight individuals have been formally charged in connection with the 12th edition of the BPL, combining the five earlier BCB proceedings with the three announced on September 1, 2026. The BCBIU investigations remain ongoing, and no outcomes or penalties have been determined at this stage.