Majola hopes to be back before CLT20

Johannesburg: Suspended Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief executive officer Gerald Majola may be back in his position before the start of the Champions League Twenty20 here next week, according to his lawyers.

But CSA's legal experts are equally confident that a special plea at Majola's disciplinary hearing will fail. "At the moment, we are dealing with preliminary points raised on behalf of Majola in his plea to the charges," lawyer Pumezo David told the daily The Times, expressing optimism that the chairman of the hearing, Advocate Karel Tip, would rule in Majola's favour by Friday.

But CSA's lawyer Nicholas Preston described Majola's special plea as a technical defence to the charges. "We're confident that the special plea will be dismissed," Preston said.

Gerald Majola may be back in his position before the start of the Champions League Twenty20 here next week.

Majola was suspended early this year on the recommendation of the Nicholson inquiry instituted by Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula following a long-standing wrangling over huge bonuses during the second edition of the IPL that he paid himself and other CSA staff.

The second season of IPL was played in South Africa due to clash of dates with general elections in India. The inquiry found Majola to have breached his fiduciary duties by not informing the CSA board about the bonuses. It recommended not just disciplinary hearing currently under way, but also investigation of possible criminal charges against Majola.

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