Former Pakistan cricketer Khalid Latif has been a part of many controversies over the years and was banned for five years from all forms of cricket. Now, a Dutch court on Monday sentenced a former Pakistani cricketer to 12 years in prison over allegations that he incited people to kill firebrand anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders.
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In August 2018, he placed a bounty of $24,000 on Dutch politician Geert Wilders for holding a caricature contest depicting Muhammad. The contest was organized by Wilders in the Dutch Parliament, received more than 200 entries, and was judged by American cartoonist and former Muslim Bosch Fawstin.
At the trial, Latif did not appear in the high-security courtroom near Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport and was not represented by a lawyer. It is believed that he is hiding in his native country, Pakistan, which has no extradition agreement with the Netherlands. “The court has now ruled that a long-term unconditional term of imprisonment is the only suitable punishment for these types of offences,” a statement said.
It is extremely unlikely that Latif will serve his sentence, as Dutch authorities have sought in vain to question Khalid Latif over the case and requested legal assistance from Pakistan, also to no avail."It's a good sentence, but it's a pity that the accused is not here in court," politician Geert Wilders told reporters outside the court. " It is no longer acceptable that the Pakistani authorities refuse to cooperate. I am going to ask the prime minister to ensure that Khalid Latif is arrested in Pakistan and extradited to the Netherlands," he added.
Khalid Latif played five one-day internationals and 13 T20 internationals for Pakistan but was banned from cricket for five years in 2017 for spot-fixing in a Pakistan Super League match in Dubai. Latif last played for Pakistan against the West Indies in Abu Dhabi in September 2016. The 37-year-old currently lives in Karachi and is a coach at the club level.
