Former Cricket Canada CEO sees criminal charges withdrawn | CBC News

Syed Wajahat Ali, who was accused of the same offences, saw his charges withdrawn earlier this year

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. His charges were withdrawn earlier this year. 

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.”

Cricket Canada CEO says charges of theft and fraud are 'completely false'

Defence lawyer Jim Lutz said his client was “greatly relieved” with Monday’s development. 

“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 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.