John Higgins will be able to resume his snooker career in November after being cleared of match fixing.

The three-time world champion has been fined £75,000 and banned for six months, backdated to May, after being found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute by not reporting the illegal approach made to him to discuss fixing games.

But Higgins has been cleared by an independent tribunal of the more serious claims of match fixing, that were made against him by the News of the World, and is free to return to the sport from November 1.

The 35-year-old was suspended in May after the newspaper alleged he and his manager Pat Mooney had agreed at a meeting in Kiev to lose frames in four matches, in return for £261,000, but has always maintained his innocence.

Mooney, meanwhile, was found guilty of discussing and planning frame-fixing and has been banned from the game for life.

"I welcome today's judgement following an exhaustive enquiry into allegations against me by a tabloid newspaper," said Higgins.

"The statement I made in May immediately after the newspaper accusation was 100 percent true then as it is 100 percent true today.

"I've never been involved in any form of snooker match fixing. In my 18 years playing professional snooker I've never intentionally missed a shot never mind intentionally lost a frame or match.

"If I'm guilty of anything it's naivety in trusting those who I believed were working in the best interests of snooker and myself. I admit that I should have informed the WPBSA of the events immediately on my return from Kiev.

"This has been a traumatic time for me and those close to me. It's been made all the more hurtful by the knowledge that I never have and never would fix a snooker match."