EXCLUSIVE: Yorkshire accused of ‘mendacity’ over misplaced information after being charged over destruction of proof within the Azeem Rafiq case
- Yorkshire plead responsible to destroying proof associated to racism claims
- Yorkshire will not participate in trial after admitting legal responsibility on all 4 expenses
- Michael Vaughan is the only defendant after 5 former team-mates pulled out
- Sportsmail discovered one responsible plea pertains to admission of destroying proof
Yorkshire are accused of mendacity in response to one of many ECB’s racism expenses in an explosive file of latest proof obtained by Sportsmail.
The accusations from a number of former staff, that are supported by an electronic mail from Yorkshire’s personal solicitors, shall be a supply of main embarrassment to the ECB and will have important implications for his or her disciplinary case in opposition to Michael Vaughan, which resumes on Monday.
Sportsmail revealed on February 23 that one of many 4 expenses Yorkshire have admitted pertains to the destruction of proof within the Azeem Rafiq case, which led to the membership confirming the story however claiming that ‘the deletion and destruction of paperwork’ pre-dated Lord Patel’s arrival at Headingley.
Patel was appointed Yorkshire chairman on November 5, 2021, however Sportsmail has obtained a damning file which strongly signifies the lacking proof was nonetheless within the membership’s possession months later. It’s understood to comprise of digital information held on a private laptop computer in addition to three cabinets and two bins of paper paperwork.
Yorkshire have pleaded responsible to an ECB cost of destroying essential paperwork regarding the Azeem Rafiq racism case
Sportsmail has been informed by a number of sources that the membership nonetheless had all proof regarding the Rafiq case in March 2022. We now have additionally been informed that completely deleting the digital information would have been inconceivable in any case. Our file consists of:
- Testimony from two former Yorkshire workers members, who declare that in March 2022 the laborious copies had been saved in a locked cupboard exterior the workplace of performing chief govt Paul Hudson.
- An electronic mail despatched by Yorkshire’s solicitors, Howard Kennedy, dated February 10, 2022, stating that the membership had been content material they’d the paperwork in query.
- A letter despatched to the ECB final week from one other former Yorkshire workers member querying whether or not the digital information may have been completely destroyed as a result of membership’s contract with MTech, who had been accountable for backing up all knowledge each night time.
- Particulars of a £75,000 improve to Yorkshire’s web servers which came about in 2021 to make sure that no knowledge may very well be misplaced.
Of their response to our authentic story, Yorkshire claimed a ‘thorough impartial investigation established that the deletion and destruction of paperwork date from a time interval previous to the appointment of Lord Patel’, however appeared to have modified their place in a contemporary assertion final night time. Whereas repeating the declare the paperwork had been destroyed, the second assertion didn’t specify when.
Yorkshire claimed the destruction of paperwork had been previous to the appointment of Lord Patel’
‘Subsequent to the appointment of Lord Patel on November 5, 2021, it’s understood that sure paperwork and emails created previous to his appointment — and regarding the allegations of racism and the membership’s response to these allegations — had been unable to be positioned,’ it learn. ‘We engaged impartial specialists to analyze and we’re knowledgeable that their conclusion was that emails and paperwork, held electronically by the membership and in paper copy, had been irretrievably deleted from each servers and laptops and in any other case destroyed.’
The brand new revelations will trigger additional embarrassment for the ECB, who’ve relied closely on Yorkshire’s 4 responsible pleas in pursuing disciplinary motion in opposition to seven former gamers, together with Vaughan.
The ECB’s lawyer, Jane Mulcahy KC, repeatedly cited Yorkshire’s admissions as proof of a ‘prevailing ambiance’ of racism on the membership throughout final week’s proceedings, however the credibility of a minimum of a type of pleas is now being brazenly questioned.
