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Monday, July 22, 2013

Match-fixing ref, on the run from Singapore, walking free in Sungai Petani


Shokri Nor is a wanted man in Singapore; just a pawn in the football betting syndicate that has sullied the beautiful game on both sides of the Causeway.
But a wanted man, nonetheless. The former policeman and referee was charged with conspiring to fix a match between Singapore’s Lions XII and Sarawak in the Malaysian Super League (MSL) in July last year.
His passport was seized and he was out on RM50,000 bail. But he absconded, raising a clutch of questions in his wake. How did he leave the island without travel documents? Why hasn’t he been picked up by Malaysian police despite a warrant of arrest being out for him?
For a wanted man, Shokri is living an open life in a housing estate about 20 minutes outside Sungai Petani, Singapore’s The New Paper (TNP) discovered after tracking him down and observing his movement for three days.
Without a care in the world, he took out the trash, chatted with neighbours, swept the floor of his semi-detached house, cleaned his Perodua Kenari and headed out to a bridal and wedding decoration business owned by his wife.
He only froze when the TNP reporter approached him on July 3.
For about 20 seconds, he stood silently staring, surprised that he had been found. Frowning, he asked in Malay: “What’s all this about?”
The reporter shot a volley of questions.
Why did he abscond? How did he manage to get out of Singapore in spite of his passport being impounded by the Singapore authorities?
He scanned the estate as though waiting for more strangers to emerge from the shadows. Visibly upset, Shokri growled “what for” before he went back into his house and killed the lights.
Over the next 15 minutes, Shokri's wife, who only gave her name as Ju, and his teenage daughter spoke on his behalf.
Ju said: “(You can’t guarantee he will not be arrested), that’s why we can’t really talk to you.
“He is now stressed out. Super stressed, he has told me.”
His teenage daughter, who declined to be named, said: “I don’t want to be rude, but this isn’t something we need right now. What if the authorities come and arrest my father?
“Why is Singapore so interested in knowing all about my father’s situation?”
The teenager added she was surprised that it took a year to locate her father.
Shokri was initially rumoured to be in Penang and later, Kedah.
Then a well-placed insider in Malaysia told TNP that Shokri was spotted in the Sungai Petani estate, driving a Penang-registered Perodua Kenari.
The family went everywhere in the car. Each time the family headed into town or to the petrol station, Shokri was always the first out of the car.
He would walk ahead of his family.
Their daughter revealed that Shokri was “no longer involved in sports, the Football Association of Malaysia or the police force”.
“I really want to protect my father. I know you came from far, but will your story be able to return my father’s career or reputation?” she asked.
So why is fugitive Shokri Nor still a free man? Singapore’s Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said it was working actively on locating Shokri and executing the warrant of arrest. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission had not replied to TNP’s queries by press time.
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) said that it was assisting the Royal Malaysian Police.
FAM’s head of integrity, Osman Abu Bakar, said: “Pending the outcome of his (Shokri’s) case, his licence is suspended and (we) will bring this matter up with the integrity committee for revocation as he had gone against FAM integrity department’s code of ethics.”
Osman hoped for a prompt conclusion to the case and for Shokri to be taken back to Singapore to face the courts.
He said: “The underlying message – not only to football fans but also to those involved in the game – is that we do not condone match fixing and football corruption.”
Shokri is certainly making that statement sound hollow.

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