Romanian tennis player banned over ‘multiple’ match-fixing breaches
Romanian tennis player Petru-Alexandru Luncanu has been hit with a lenghty ban and a fine after he was found guilty on multiple match-fixing charges by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
The 34-year-old Luncanu has been suspended from the sport for five years and fined $40,000 following several breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP).
The former world No 304 was hit with seven charges by the ITIA for match-fixing activity in 2017 and 2021 and Independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer (AHO) Raj Parker upheld five of the charges as well as an additional charge of failing to co-operate fully with the ITIA’s investigation in 2022.
Luncanu denied all the charges against him, but AHO Parker found that the Romanian “had breached the TACP by contriving the outcome or any other aspect of several matches, and directly or indirectly facilitating tennis wagering”.
It was also determined that the player “failed to co-operate fully with the ITIA investigation by withdrawing consent for their mobile phone to be analysed when requested by an ITIA investigator”.
Luncanu was last in action at the ITF M25+H Bacau in Romania July 2022 where he lost the second round.
The five-year ban means the Luncanu will not be able to play in, coach at, or attend any tennis event authorised or sanctioned by the governing bodies of tennis until 8 June 2028.
Sections of the TACP breached by Luncanu:
D.1.b. No Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, solicit or facilitate any other person to wager on the outcome or any other aspect of any Event or any other tennis competition. For the avoidance of doubt, to solicit or facilitate to wager shall include, but not be limited to: display of live tennis betting odds on a Covered Person website; writing articles for a tennis betting publication or website; conducting personal appearances for a tennis betting company or any other company or entity directly affiliated with a tennis betting company; and appearing in commercials encouraging others to bet on tennis.
D.1.d. No Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, contrive or attempt to contrive the outcome or any other aspect of any Event.
F.2.b. All Covered Persons must cooperate fully with investigations conducted by the ITIA including giving evidence at hearings, if requested. Even in the case where a Covered Person is represented by a legal counsel, the Covered Person is still personally responsible for ensuring that they cooperate fully with the investigation. The Covered Person shall be deemed not to have cooperated if the Covered Person’s legal counsel interferes with an ITIA investigation. A Covered Person’s failure to comply with any Demand, preserve evidence related to any Corruption Offense or otherwise cooperate fully with investigations conducted by the ITIA, may result in an adverse factual inference against the Covered Person in any matter referred to an AHO.
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