Snooker World number one John Higgins was banned for six months and fined 75,000 pounds Wednesday for breaching betting rules but has been cleared of match-fixing charges.

Higgins was suspended by World Snooker in May after the News of the World alleged that he and his manager Pat Mooney had agreed at a meeting in Kiev to lose frames in four matches in return for 261,000 pounds, the Guardian reported.

Subsequently, the World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn suspended Higgins and vowed to clean up the sport when the story was published. However, Mooney and Higgins protested their innocence, claiming they felt intimidated and would have gone along with anything in order to get home.

At the hearing, Higgins admitted 'intentionally giving the impression to others that they were agreeing to act in breach of the betting rules' and failing to report the matter to World Snooker.

However the more serious charges of 'agreeing or offering' to accept bribes and 'agreeing to engage in corrupt or fraudulent conduct' were withdrawn following the two-day hearing in London.

His manager Mooney has been banned from further involvement in snooker for life.