Cairns says he now faces perjury charges in Britain

London, Sep 12 (IANS) Former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns confirmed Friday he expects to face perjury charges in Britain after being notified by the Crown Prosecution Service that it intended to lay charges against him Sep 25.

Cairns had won a high court libel trial in 2012 in London against former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi, who had accused him of match-fixing in the now-defunct Indian Cricket League.

"I can confirm that I have now been notified by the Crown Prosecution Service in the UK that it is their intention to lay charges against me Sep 25 for perjury," Cairns said in a statement.

"I'm obviously extremely disappointed. However, at least there will now be an opportunity to face my accusers in an open forum, with some rigour and proper process around that, so that I can clear my name once and for all."

Cairns, who is also under investigated by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for his role in match-fixing, said he would continue to cooperate fully with the authorities, and would travel to Britain to face the charges.

"I will continue to cooperate fully with the authorities, including voluntarily travelling to the UK to face these changes."

"I hope that, through this forum, significant additional information will be flushed out that will help people to better assess the situation, as well as the character and motives of the parties involved," added the New Zealander.

The New Zealand Cricket (NZC) board also made a statement acknowledging the said charges.

"New Zealand Cricket acknowledges the decision from British police to lay perjury charges against former New Zealand cricketer, Chris Cairns," the NZC statement said. 

"These charges, quite different from proceedings conducted by cricket authorities into match-fixing and corruption, will now be tested in a British court of law and be subject to the normal processes of a criminal trial. Accordingly, NZC will not make any comment on the matter until such time all proceedings have been concluded," it said.