LONDON: Michael Beloff, the man who will oversee the anti-corruption tribunal in Doha that will determine the futures of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer, has a wealth of experience in the growing field of sport and the law.
Beloff, assisted by Justice Albie Sachs from South Africa and Kenyan Sharad Rao, will decide if the Pakistani trio conspired in the bowling of deliberate no-balls during last year's tour of England -- claims they all deny.
The players were provisionally suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in October, with the world governing body's code of conduct carrying a minimum five-year ban if corruption charges are proved.
Beloff, a lawyer based at London's Blackstone Chambers -- one of England's leading barrister (advocate) administrative law practices -- has been chairman of the ICC's code of conduct commission since 2002 and was on the dispute resolution panel for the 2007 World Cup and 2009 World Twenty20 events.
But his sporting experience extends well beyond cricket with Beloff having been a member of the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) since 1996.
In that capacity he has been an arbitrator at the last four Olympic Games and the 1998, 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games.
He was also a member of the CAS panel at the 2004 European football championships and the 2006 football World Cup.
And in November last year he was elected as one of the judges on the international court of appeal of motorsport world governing body the FIA.
Educated at Eton and Oxford University -- the same two educational institutions as British Prime Minister David Cameron -- the 68-year-old Beloff is the son of the late British historian Max Beloff.
He was called to the Bar in 1967 and became a QC (Queen's Counsel) or senior barrister in 1981.
Described as “one of the great names at the Bar today,” by the 2011 edition of the independent Chambers UK legal directory, he also served as president of Trinity College, Oxford from 1996-2006.
Long before this week's hearing, Beloff had already played a significant role in the case of the three Pakistan cricketers.
On October 31, after a two-day hearing in Dubai, he rejected appeals by Butt and Aamer against their provisional suspensions.
Then, on November 12, Beloff formally constituted the anti-corruption tribunal to determine the matter, with himself as chairman together with fellow ICC code of conduct commissioners Sachs and Rao.
And Beloff was involved again last month when former Test captain Butt's new legal representative, British-based Yasin Patel, requested an adjournment of the full hearing.
After what the ICC said was a “lengthy telephone hearing”, and having received written submissions, Beloff rejected Butt's application for a delay in a move that ensured this week's hearing would take place as originally scheduled back in November.
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