Pakistani trio admit they took money from bookie

Pakistan cricket players Mohammad Amir, left, Salman Butt, right, and Mohammad Asif, center, walk to a taxi watched by a police officer, top, as they leave their hotel in Taunton, England, Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010. The three Pakistan cricketers who are implicated in match-fixing allegations are on their way to London for an internal inquiry with Pakistani officials. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Mired in a spot-fixing scam, the Pakistani trio of Salman Butt, Mohammed Amir and Mohammed Asif have told the investigators that they took money from alleged bookie Mazhar Majeed but denied any wrongdoing.

The suspended trio, being grilled by Scotland Yard, claimed the money they took from Majeed was on account of sponsorship contracts they had signed with different commercial organisations.

They insisted that they did not know that Majeed, working as an agent for them, was also a bookmaker.

“The players also showed their written contracts for these sponsorship deals to the police,” Pakistan legal advisor Tafazzul Rizvi told

Geo TV .

“The players have contested the allegation and also volunteered themselves for police investigations,” he said.

According to reports, 50,000 pounds were recovered from the hotel room of Butt.

The three players were suspended by the ICC after a British tabloid claimed that they were involved in spot-fixing.