Brazil Prosecution 'Evaluating' Hickey Report

(ATR) The Rio de Janeiro-based prosecutor in charge of the case against Patrick Hickey says he is "evaluating" the Moran report to determine if it will be used in a future trial.

Marcos Kac tellsAround the Rings that he does not believe the recent Moran report released in Ireland clears Hickey of criminal wrongdoing, but cannot say if he would use the report in an upcoming trial.

"I think things are clear in the process!" Kac said to ATR. "The culpability of the accused is perennial in the process!"

Hickey’s case is still no closer to a trial date, as Kac said his office is waiting on decisions from a Rio state judge. Hickey was arrested during the 2016 Olympics for charges of ticket touting, forming a cartel, and illegally marketing the Rio Games. He faces up to seven years in prison, and must accept all decisions taken after negotiating his release in exchange for being tried in absentia.

Last week, a report by Irish judge Carroll Moran attempted to untangle the ticketing scandal that gripped the Olympic Council of Ireland during the 2016 Olympics. The report found that Hickey was not criminally liable in Ireland, but raised numerous questions about the OCI’s ticketing arrangement.

The report said that the relationship between Hickey and THG head Marcus Evans "seems to show more concern for the commercial interests of the [reseller] than for the interests of the athletes, their friends, relatives and supporters or for those of the spectating public." After the report’s release new OCI President Sarah Keane said that the contract Hickey negotiated with THG runs until 2026 and is "pretty watertight."

THG was rejected by Rio 2016 as an authorized ticket reseller in 2015, leaving the OCI in a bind. A new company, Pro 10, eventually filled the void as a reseller. Moran’s report detailed how ill-equipped Pro10 was to sell Olympics tickets, and questioned its relationship with THG.

A large section of the report was devoted to how Hickey, the IOC, and Rio 2016 did not contribute to the investigation. All parties said that their refusal to cooperate was made upon advice from lawyers, citing the ongoing trial in Brazil.

Hickey welcomed the Moran report saying in a statement it cleared his reputation in Ireland. However, he said that the entire endeavor was "ill-conceived" given his inability to respond to questions from investigators. He said that he looks forward to clearing his name in Brazil, and "resuming [his] international Olympic duties." After his arrest, Hickey self-suspended himself from his IOC and Association of National Olympic Committees positions.

"The report contains significant flaws and inaccurate assumptions," Hickey said. "In time I propose on the proclamation of my innocence to address all issues. Regrettably the Moran Inquiry has failed to include the full suite of correspondence between my solicitors and the Moran Inquiry that addressed all of the issues in dispute."

Kac says preparations for a trial remain ongoing, and doubted Hickey’s claims that the report would clear his name in Brazil.

"It absolutely did not clear anything!" Kac said of the report. "It’s a lie."

Written by Aaron Bauer

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