Tsao Chin-hui, a professional baseball player formerly of the Brother Elephants team, was briefly detained and questioned yesterday in connection with a game-fixing case upon his return from the US.
Tsao was detained at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and escorted to court by airport police after customs officials alerted the Banchiao District Court that he had returned from Los Angeles.
At the court, he was questioned briefly as a witness by Li Chin-fu, one of the judges in a game-fixing case involving 24 former Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) players.
The judge said Tsao was listed as a witness in the case, but had failed to show up in court despite being subpoenaed twice. Li dismissed as unacceptable Tsao’s excuse that he was in the US at the time of the hearings. The judge said Tsao did not seek the court’s permission to be absent from the hearings, which is the proper legal procedure.
According to the law, witnesses who fail to show up for court hearings without good reason risk a fine of up to NT$30,000 (US$936) and will be brought to court by police.
The judge questioned Tsao about some of the evidence found by investigators in a search of Tsao’s residence earlier this year during the probe into the game-fixing scandal.
Before releasing Tsao, the judge warned him that although he has already been cleared by prosecutors of any involvement in the case, he could come under investigation again if new evidence against him turns up.
The game-fixing scandal erupted last October, with 24 baseball players charged with throwing games in league with bookmakers.
Tsao, who played for the Colorado Rockies in the US Major League in 1999 and for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2007, signed up with the Brother Elephants in 2008. He was the first Taiwanese major leaguer to play in the CPBL.
Although Tsao was not implicated in the CPBL game-fixing scandal, Brother Elephants fired him on the grounds that he had had contact with a bookmaker who was charged as the mastermind behind the whole scheme.
MARRED FINAL: As most of Senegalese players walked off the pitch after a controversial decision, some supporters threw objects and attempted to get onto the pitch Senegal on Sunday won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as Pape Gueye’s extra-time winner sunk hosts Morocco 1-0 after a chaotic final that saw the eventual champions storm off the pitch late in the game. Brahim Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with a controversial spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time as ugly scenes broke out in the stands. However, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted “Panenka” chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the penalty award.
James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
Yassine Bounou on Wednesday saved two penalties, while Youssef en-Nesyri netted the decisive spot-kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Nigeria following a 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Rabat. Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 years, are to face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday’s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in the third-place playoff tomorrow. The 120 minutes before the shoot-out had few clear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created more opportunities, although they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. Nigeria
RSS