Will we ever see Lamine Diack again? Unlikely. What will remain of the former president of the International Athletics Federation (1999 to 2015), former mayor of Dakar and big man of African sport for almost two decades, is one last image that looks like a bad ending. The image of an 87-year-old man dressed in a white boubou, leaving the Paris courthouse without a word.
The Senegalese leader undoubtedly made his last public outing on Wednesday September 16, 2020. Masked, he approached the bar as close as possible to hear the president of the 32nd criminal chamber of the Paris court, Rose-Marie Hunault, state her verdict. It marks the end of a career as a sports manager for which one might wonder what other secrets remained hidden.
Lamine Diack was sentenced to four years in prison, two of which were suspended, and a fine of 500.000 euros for active and passive corruption and breach of trust. Judges found him guilty of bribery by Russian athletes and Russian financing of political campaigns in Senegal.
His two lawyers summed it up in their own way: the French court's judgment reveals no leniency. They value it “ unjust" and " inhuman. » The president of the correctional chamber, Rose-Marie Hunault, justifies it by the “ exceptional seriousness of the facts”.
At 87 years old, however, it seems unlikely that Lamine Diack will be forced to experience the atmosphere of prison. His lawyers have already warned that they will appeal. The procedure is therefore not over, it could even continue for a good year. Furthermore, his advanced age makes the Senegalese eligible for conditional release without time limit.
The five other defendants in the trial will not open the door of a cell either. Papa Massata Diack, the son, took the most expensive one. Found guilty of complicity in passive corruption at the time when he advised his father in IAAF marketing matters, he was sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of one million euros.
But Papa Massata Diack is a refugee in Senegal, sheltered from French justice. He will not risk leaving his native land. His lawyer warned that he too would appeal.
Gabriel Dollé, the former head of the fight against doping at the IAAF, is sentenced to two years in prison and a fine of 140.000 euros.
Lawyer Habib Cissé, former advisor to Lamine Diack at the IAAF, was sentenced to three years in prison, including one year, but modified with the wearing of an electronic bracelet. He will also have to pay a fine of 100.000 euros.
As for the two Russian defendants, Valentin Balakhnichev, former president of the Russian Athletics Federation, and former coach Alexei Melnikov, they were sentenced to three and two years in prison respectively. But they always refused to cooperate with French justice. They were not present at the trial last June, despite an international arrest warrant issued for them.
Lamine Diack and his son Papa Massata were also ordered to pay more than five million euros in damages to World Athletics for breach of trust.
The six defendants were also ordered to collectively pay 9,5 million euros in damages to World Athletics for the misappropriation of sponsorship contracts.
In total, the international athletics body, which had filed a civil suit, could recover a small jackpot of 16 million euros in damages, or within a few dollars the amount of its deficit at the end of the financial year 2019. A godsend. But the respective situation of the six condemned people makes payment of this sum very unlikely.
When the verdict was announced, World Athletics issued a press release, saying “ grateful for the strong and clear decisions that were made against those involved"
World Athletics continues: “ We are grateful for the damages awarded by the Paris Criminal Court, totaling €16 million, for the misappropriated funds and reputational damage suffered as a direct result of these crimes and media coverage. which resulted. As recognized by the Court, this damage has had an impact on the finances of world athletics and has had a negative impact on the image and reputation of world athletics in a profound and lasting way. We will do everything possible to recover the allocated amounts and return them to the organization for the development of athletics worldwide. » Not won in advance.
