Sheikh Ahmad Apology Over Corruption Scandal

(ATR) The roles of Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah in the Olympic Movement appear to be unaffected by a domestic political dispute which ended with a televised apology to the Emir of Kuwait.

According to the Kuwaiti News Agency, Ahmad said sorry for disseminating "erroneous information" later deemed "unfounded and false".

Sheikh Ahmad accused former prime minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and ex-parliament speaker Jassem al-Khorafi of planning a government coup.

Ahmad al-Sabah is an IOC member, president of the Association of National Olympic Committees and the Olympic Council of Asia, as well as chair of Olympic Solidarity.

As a member of Kuwait’s ruling family, Ahmad al-Sabah was forced to offer an apology to his uncle, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

The case came to a head after investigators determined last month that the video and audio tapes he allegedly supplied as evidence of the plan to overthrow the Kuwaiti government were bogus.

Kuwait's public prosecutors dropped the case against Al-Sabah and al-Khorafi, who were also accused of money laundering, leading to much embarrassment for the Emir.

Ahmad, who has run into political problems in Kuwait before, admitted he was at fault in the televised speech.

In the speech, he offered his "profound apology and deep sorrow for what I have caused in the recent past of slander or defamation or smear, whether intentional or not, to others."

According to the Arab Times, he said "The slander, defamation, and smear came about as a consequence of information and documentation I received regarding the nation’s interests which I thought at the time were correct and credible.

"Now that it has been determined by the judiciary the falsehood of the information and documentation, I hereby adhere to the decision by the judiciary."

At least domestically, this is a knock to Sheikh Ahmad’s reputation.

But his leading role in world sport continues apace.

The ANOC president, a loyalist of IOC president Thomas Bach and strong supporter of FIFA president Sepp Blatter, is now setting his sights on securing a seat at world football’s top table.

On April 30, he is widely expected to be win one of the two Asian seats on the FIFA Executive Committee. That’s the day of the Asian Football Confederation congress. The AFC is headed by Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa. Sheikh Ahmad is credited with playing an influential role in getting the Bahraini elected in 2013.

Reported by Mark Bisson

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