The facts go back a long way, but they still weigh heavily, enough to shake up certain behemoths of the Olympic movement. In Brazil, the former governor of Rio de Janeiro, Sergio Cabral (photo above), assured in court that he had bribed several members of the IOC, no less than 9, for the award of the Summer Games in 2016.
According to the Brazilian press, Sergio Cabral dropped two names: the Ukrainian Sergei Bubka and the Russian Aleksandr Popov. Two heavyweights. Two legends.
The former Brazilian elected official, arrested in November 2016 then charged with corruption and imprisoned for almost 3 years, was not short of details. He explained that the vote buying, amounting to $2 million, had been arranged with the help of the inevitable Lamine Diack, the former president of the IAAF, whose name comes up like a refrain in almost all corruption cases for 4 years.
Before the judge, Sergio Cabral said that Carlos Nuzman, the former president of the Brazilian Olympic committee, also prosecuted for corruption, had told him: “ The president of the International Athletics Federation, Lamine Diack, is open to unfair advantages. He can guarantee us 5 or 6 votes. But he wants $1,5 million. »
Still according to the former governor of Rio, the money would have been brought by a Brazilian entrepreneur, Arthur Soares, then it would have passed through the pockets of another regular of the genre, Papa Massata Diack, the son of Lamine Diack. The Senegalese then allegedly used the $2 million mentioned by Sergio Cabral to bribe certain voters. As a reminder, Rio de Janeiro was designated host city for the 2016 Games by the IOC session in September 2009 in Copenhagen. It was preferred in Tokyo, Madrid and Chicago.
Launched like a shell, Sergio Cabral even assured the judge that the former Brazilian president, Lula, and the former mayor of Rio, Eduardo Paes, were both aware of the transaction. But they did not participate.
Are Sergio Cabral's revelations credible? Did the former governor tell the truth, or is he only trying to release names and facts in exchange for a reduced sentence? At this point, both options are open. But, not surprisingly, the individuals cited all deny it altogether.
The lawyers of Lula and Eduardo Paes assured as soon as the Brazilian press revealed that their clients were in no way aware of the scheme.
Papa Massata Diack has also already denied the accusations. He swears he never met Sergio Cabral or Eduardo Paes. And, if he admits to having received the sum of 1,5 million dollars from Carlos Nuzman, the Senegalese explains that the money was to be used to organize a sporting event, which was ultimately canceled.
Aleksandr Popov, the former Russian swimmer, four-time Olympic gold medalist and former member of the IOC (he is now an honorary member), swore to his great gods that he had not received any bribe in exchange for his votes for Rio 2016.
« I can say that I didn't even vote for Rio de Janeiro, he told the Russian agency R-Sport. I participated in the vote, but my voice did not go to Rio de Janeiro. Now I don't know what I should do. I am distraught and I don't understand what is happening around Rio de Janeiro. Someone is lying to someone, it’s very serious. »
