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Criminal charges were dropped Monday against a former Cricket Canada CEO who was accused of misappropriating $200,000 from the Calgary and District Cricket League.
Salman Khan Shahzad (a.k.a. Salman Khan), 47, was charged with counts of fraud over $5,000 and theft over $5,000 in March 2025 stemming from alleged illegal activity between 2014 and 2016.
On Monday morning, which was supposed to be Day 1 of Khan’s trial, prosecutor Petter Hurich appeared in a Calgary courtroom and withdrew the charges.
Syed Wajahat Ali, the league’s former treasurer, was accused of the same offences and says his charges were withdrawn earlier this year.
‘This was the right result’
In a statement provided to CBC News, the Crown Prosecution Service said prosecutors have “an ongoing obligation to review all available admissible evidence to ensure the matter continues to meet the standard for prosecution.”
“In this file, the Crown prosecutor determined there was insufficient evidence to proceed to trial.”
Defence lawyer Jim Lutz said his client was “greatly relieved” with Monday’s development.
“This was the right result in law for Khan,” said Lutz.
“We came to this conclusion after almost a year’s worth of work on this file, critically evaluating the evidence. My client is extremely grateful the Crown took the time to thoroughly review this file.”
Cricket Canada termination
Cricket Canada terminated Khan in December 2025, nine months after Calgary police announced the charges following a board-led investigation.
“The dismissal stems from Mr. Khan’s failure to disclose prior criminal charges — an act that constituted a serious breach of trust — along with violations of organizational bylaws related to his contract,” said the board in a statement posted to the Cricket Canada website.
According to reporting by CBC’s the fifth estate, Khan’s Cricket Canada contract had a provision that stated he is entitled to his full term pay if he’s fired for any reason other than a criminal conviction related to his position as CEO.
Khan is reportedly fighting for Cricket Canada to honour his contract and pay out the remaining $475,000.
CBC News has reached out to Cricket Canada for comment.
The investigation
Calgary police launched its investigation after concerns were flagged during a 2017 audit of the league’s financial records, conducted by the newly appointed president.
When police announced the charges last year, investigators alleged Khan and Ali misappropriated funds through cheque payments to construction businesses and contractors connected to the former president and treasurer.
Police said at the time that payments were allegedly made for repairs and upgrades to the league clubhouse and grounds for work that was either never completed or poorly done using inferior products.
Match fixing allegations
Khan was also named in connection with a fifth estate investigation into allegations that the Bishnoi gang — run from an India prison by leader Lawrence Bishnoi — has influence over Cricket Canada.
The fifth estate obtained audio from a former Cricket Canada head coach claiming he was asked to fix parts of matches by then-CEO Khan and two other former leaders within the organization.
In a lengthy email provided to CBC News, Khan said he categorically denies “any involvement in spot fixing, session fixing, betting or influencing team selection for improper purposes.”
