The Deuce Of an investigation

New claims surround the world of tennis, as an Italian prosecutor investigating match fixing in the game has criticised the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) for not pursuing the matter. Roberto Di Martino has called for more top tennis players to be looked into, claiming he has phone logs and telephone records proving their involvement. 

According to Mr Di Martino, there are many other players than just those who are being investigated, that have been mentioned in interviews with gamblers and he said that they are not only so-called second-tier players but also names of some importance. Moreover, he insists that they are not only Italian, which seems to be the implication of the TIU, and claims that the problem is international.

So far, Italians Potito Starace and Daniele Bracciali have been arrested and charged, with Mr Di Martino alleging that he has concrete evidence on Starace relating to specific matches in Barcelona in 2009 and 2011. Both men have been accused of accepting bribes of up to €50,000 to fix matches between 2007 and 2011, although both deny the charges.

The Italian Tennis Federation banned the pair from tennis for life in August at the conclusion of its investigation, but Starace has since been cleared by the Federation’s appeal court and the ban on Bracciali has been reduced to12 months.

As with any other forensic investigation, prosecutors and forensic accountants have followed the money, through phone records, emails, interviews, lifestyle analysis and, of course, bank statements. If Mr Di Martino claims that he has “concrete evidence” then it is likely that he has uncovered signs that point to match fixing, as these investigators are thorough in the extreme.

For advice on how Milsted Langdon’s forensic accountants can assist you, please contact us today.

Author: Roger Isaacs, 21 March 2016

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