FILE PHOTO: Southeast Asian Games - Tennis - Hanaka Paris Ocean Park, Bac Ninh, Vietnam - May 21, 2022 Laos' Mick Lescure Sadettan in action during his semi final match against Vietnam's Trinh Linh Giang REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
(Reuters) - French players Mick Lescure and Jules Okala have been given life bans from tennis after investigations into multiple incidents of match-fixing since 2014, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said on Friday.
The 29-year-old Lescure, who peaked at world number 487, was found guilty of eight charges of match-fixing and also handed a $40,000 fine. Okala, 25, whose highest ranking was 338, was found guilty of seven charges and fined $15,000.
"The cases were ruled on by independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer Charles Hollander KC and the sanctions mean both players are permanently prohibited from playing in or attending any tennis event sanctioned by the governing bodies of tennis," the ITIA said in a statement.
The independent ITIA -- established by tennis' international governing bodies to oversee integrity matters -- said that both players have been part of wider law enforcement investigations in France and Belgium.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
