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Cronje may be forgiven if he tells the truth

Disgraced South African former cricket captain Hansie Cronje has received a guarantee that he will not be prosecuted on criminal charges if he discloses his role in the match-fixing scandal, the secretary to a government inquiry said on Saturday.

"Shamila Batohi, the King Commission's advocate, has informed me that Hansie Cronje has been offered indemnity from prosecution if he comes clean to the commission," secretary John Bacon said.

The inquiry, headed by Judge Edwin King, began hearings on Wednesday and so far six current and former national squad players have testified.

All six have said that bribes were offered to throw important international matches and they have implicated Cronje, in the scandal.

On Friday two players told the inquiry they had been offered bribes totalling $ 35,000 from Cronje to perform badly.

Cronje was sacked as national captain on April 11 after admitting he had accepted up to $15,000 from bookmakers for providing pitch and weather information. He has, however, denied he was involved in match-fixing.

Cronje is expected to testify before the inquiry early next week.

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