The clouds took on a very dark hue above the Paris courthouse, Wednesday June 17, on the penultimate day of the Lamine Diack trial. The very advanced age of the former IAAF president (he celebrated his 87th birthday at the beginning of June) did not deter the prosecutors. They demanded a prison sentence.
Lamine Diack has been warned: the threat of spending a few years behind bars is fast approaching. The prosecutor of the 32nd criminal chamber, François-Xavier Dulin, requested a sentence of 4 years' imprisonment against him, accompanied by a fine of 500.000 euros.
Obviously, the line of defense adopted by Lamine Diack, often confused and devoid of the slightest trace of regret, was not convincing. During his indictment, the prosecutor mentioned “ a breach of probity that caused global harm. »
Throughout the day, Wednesday, the two prosecutors returned to the accusations of active and passive corruption, organized gang money laundering and breach of trust. They dissected the chronology of the facts. They listed the litany of emails, letters and financial transfers discovered during the investigation.
« Lamine Diack told us that he was not a money man. But he’s swimming in money.”, said one of the two prosecutors, François-Xavier Dulin. According to them, Lamine Diack is guilty of having slowed down the procedures intended to sanction Russian athletes caught for doping.
Despite its numerous blackouts ", he could not not be aware of the fraudulent practices of his son, Papa Massata Diack, former marketing advisor to the IAAF. The prosecutor mentioned a “ filial but delinquent relationship” between the two men. He suggested that father and son had taken advantage of the international athletics body for years to recover “ considerable sums"
The trial is due to end on Friday June 19 with defense arguments. The judgment will then be reserved.
Will Lamine Diack go to prison? Likely. But he wouldn't be the only one. The prosecutors of the 32nd criminal chamber have not forgotten anyone among the six defendants in the trial.
A two-year prison sentence, one of which was suspended, plus a fine of 160.000 euros, were requested against Gabriel Dollé (78), the former head of anti-doping at the IAAF. He is accused of passive corruption. According to the two prosecutors, the machinery intended to protect Russian athletics could have been avoided if it had shown less passivity.
Lawyer Habib Cissé, one of the only three defendants present at the trial (with Lamine Diack and Gabriel Dollé), for his part risks three years in prison, including 18 months suspended. He could also be banned from practicing as a lawyer.
Unsurprisingly, the prosecutors were the most offensive with Papa Massata Diack, who remained in Senegal where he had been evading French justice for almost five years. They demanded five years in prison, a 500.000 euro fine and an arrest warrant.
Finally, prison was also requested against the two Russian defendants, who were also absent from the trial. Four years close for Valentin Balakhnichev, the former president of the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) and treasurer of the IAAF. Prosecutors requested the confiscation of the sum of 1,83 million euros discovered in his Monaco bank account.
As for the former national coach, Alexeï Melnikov, he risks two years in prison, one of which is suspended.
A little-anticipated episode of this penultimate day of the trial, Wednesday, World Athletics' lawyer, Régis Bergonzi, demanded from the six defendants the striking sum of 41,2 million euros in damages. “ Today, the name of Diack is synonymous with corruption, thanks to him and his son, in every corner of the planet", the lawyer suggested. Certainly. But it seems very unlikely that the international body will be able to win its case.
