Dambulla Thunders ex-owner gets suspended sentence for LPL match-fixing, fined Rs. 24M

Tamim Rahman, the former owner of the Dambulla Thunders, was given a suspended prison sentence and fined Rs. 24 million today (28) after admitting to influencing a cricketer in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2024 to fix matches. The Colombo High Court sentenced him to four years of tough imprisonment, but this sentence will be suspended for five years. Rahman, who is a Bangladeshi national with British citizenship, was arrested on May 22, 2024, at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake by the Sports Ministry’s Special Investigations Unit due to match-fixing allegations. He received indictments from the Colombo High Court in November last year under the Prevention of Offences Relating to Sports Act for persuading a player in the 2024 LPL to engage in match-fixing. After pleading guilty, he was released on bail. During a previous court session, President’s Counsel Kalinga Indatissa, representing Rahman, informed Judge Udesh Ranatunga that his client wanted to resolve the case quickly and had shared the relevant information with the Attorney General. Today, when the case was reviewed, Rahman confirmed his guilty plea regarding the charges. Consequently, the judge issued the sentence mentioned.