IOC Investigates Rio 2016 Cash-for-Votes Scandal

(ATR) The IOC’s ethics chief has launched an investigation into allegations made by the jailed former Rio State governor that he paid about $2 million in exchange for nine IOC votes to help secure the Games.

Sergio Cabral told a Rio federal judge on Thursday that he paid the disgraced former IAAF president Lamine Diack $1.5 million to bribe six IOC members. On another occasion, Diack’s son Papa Massata was allegedly paid $500,000 with the intention of securing three further IOC votes.

IOC Executive Board member Sergey Bubka and Alexander Popov, the Russian honorary IOC member, were cited in court testimony as being part of the vote-buying scheme.

Carlos Nuzman, the former Rio 2016 bid leader and Brazilian Olympic Committee chairman, made the introductions and undertook the negotiations, Cabral said, admitting that he authorized the payment.

"Nuzman came to me and said, 'Sergio, I want [to] tell you about the president of the International Athletics Federation, IAAF, Lamine Diack, he's someone who is open to taking bribes'," Cabral told Judge Marcelo Bretas, according to Brazilian media reports.

"I said, Nuzman, what are our guarantees here? And he said, 'traditionally he sells 4, 5, 6 votes. There is a risk that we don't get through to the second round [of voting]."

On Friday, the IOC issued a statement confirming it was investigating the cash-for-votes allegations.

"The IOC chief ethics and compliance officer has immediately followed up on the allegations made by the former Rio State Governor Sergio Cabral, who is already serving a jail term for corruption," the statement said, adding that its ethics chief "has contacted the IOC members mentioned in his testimony".

Bubka and Popov, both members of the IOC’s coordination commission for Rio 2016 from 2010 to 2016, issued statements on Friday denying they had received cash in exchange for their votes.

"I completely reject all the false claims made by the former Rio State governor who is currently serving a long prison sentence for corruption," Bubka, the Olympic champion pole vaulter from Ukraine wrote on Twitter.

"Mr Diack has never contacted me about my vote at the election of the host city for the Olympic Games 2016. My lawyers will write to Mr Diack to ask him to explain the allegations of Mr Cabral who wrongly claims in his testimony that Mr Diack could secure my vote.

"I will instruct my lawyers to use all the legal means at their disposal and to reserve all my rights," added Bubka, who is vice president of the IAAF.

Popov, the four-time Olympic swimming gold medalist, said: "I did not even vote for Rio de Janeiro at all and I never participated in any negotiations on these topics or with the people mentioned in the media, I don't know them and never contacted them".

The Russian swimming great said he was prepared to ready to "provide any information" to the IOC’s ethics committee and has plans to file a lawsuit for defamation in Lausanne.

Following another shake-up of the Olympic bid procedure, rubberstamped at the IOC Session in Lausanne earlier this month, the IOC said it was "fully committed" to addressing the corruption scandal and any issues which happened before its Agenda 2020 reforms.

Rio defeated Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid to secure 2016 Olympic hosting rights at the IOC Session in Copenhagen in 2009 – four years before IOC president Thomas Bach pushed through sweeping reforms. In the final round of voting, Rio beat Madrid 66 votes to 32.

Cabral was arrested in November 2016 for money laundering and various corruption charges, some linked to the Olympic project. He was sentenced to almost 200 years in jail.

Lamine Diack is currently facing trial in France for corruption and money laundering. He is also accused of receiving money to quash positive doping tests by Russian athletes.

Last month, Nuzman’s trial was restarted after being paralyzed for seven months. Nuzman, suspended as an honorary member of the IOC, is accused of paying for IOC votes to help secure the Games for Rio.

Nuzman is suspected by the Brazilian Public Prosecutor's Office of being the main intermediary between businessman Arthur Soares and Diack in an alleged bribery operation with African members of the IOC. In addition, the office of the public prosecutor says it has verified transactions of $2 million to the accounts of a company of Soares for firms of Papa Massata.

Reported by Mark Bisson

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