King pulls out of rugby investigation

CAPE TOWN – Judge Edwin King has withdrawn from leading an investigation into alleged mismanagement by South African Rugby Union (SARU) president Brian van Rooyen.

King, who led the 2000 investigation into cricket match-fixing which implicated then South African captain Hansie Cronje, made the decision to quit on Monday. Van Rooyen was accused of misconduct and not acting “in the best interests of the union” in an independent report in August.King was due to revisit some of the allegations in the Brand/Heunis report and call in more witnesses to investigate the matter further.”I have decided to withdraw because of time constraints,” King told Reuters.”The matter has taken too long to come to fruition and it’s had an impact on my personal time, hence my decision.”King was appointed by the SARU president’s council disciplinary committee in December of last year but despite meeting with the union no terms of reference were made clear and it is clear that he lost patience with the delays.The SARU board will meet on Tuesday to decide on a way forward.- Nampa-ReutersVan Rooyen was accused of misconduct and not acting “in the best interests of the union” in an independent report in August.King was due to revisit some of the allegations in the Brand/Heunis report and call in more witnesses to investigate the matter further.”I have decided to withdraw because of time constraints,” King told Reuters.”The matter has taken too long to come to fruition and it’s had an impact on my personal time, hence my decision.”King was appointed by the SARU president’s council disciplinary committee in December of last year but despite meeting with the union no terms of reference were made clear and it is clear that he lost patience with the delays.The SARU board will meet on Tuesday to decide on a way forward.- Nampa-Reuters