[NEWS] Former Rio de Janeiro governor tells judge he paid $2 million bribe to host 2016 Olympics – Loganspace AI

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – The gentle governor of Rio de Janeiro bid said in courtroom testimony on Thursday that he paid $2 million to take votes to make sure the sprawling Brazilian seaside metropolis would be chosen to host the 2016 Olympic Video games.

Sergio Cabral told a sigh the money went to Lamine Diack, the gentle president of the Global Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and used to be archaic to take as many as nine votes. It used to be no longer straight that it’s doubtless you’ll presumably additionally imagine to attain Diack or his appropriate personnel on Thursday evening.

The head of the Brazilian Olympic Committee and the principle organizer of the present, Arthur Nuzman, offered a consultant of Rio 2016 to Diack and requested him to gain the payments earlier than the 2009 vote that saw Rio steal out over Madrid, Chicago and Tokyo, Cabral told a federal sigh.

“Nuzman came to me and said, Sergio, I desire repeat you in regards to the president of the Global Athletics Federation, IAAF, Lamine Diack, he’s someone who’s commence to taking bribes,” Cabral said.

Prosecutors in Brazil charged Nuzman in October 2017 with paying the $2 million in bribes to stable Rio because the 2016 Olympics host metropolis. That trial is ongoing. He has said he’s harmless and his legal professionals repeated that on Thursday.

Diack used to be also charged by Brazilian prosecutors. He said at the time he used to be harmless.

Remaining month, Diack used to be also indicted in a French courtroom on prices he and his son Papa Massata had been pondering about a chain of illicit practices over a desire of years, including bribe-taking and money-laundering, with the vigorous involvement of world athletes and their federations.

‘WE DID IT’

Cabral told Think Marcelo Bretas that Nuzman assured him the map would work this means that of Diack had a ancient previous of such practices.

“I said, Nuzman, what are our ensures right here? And he said, ‘traditionally he sells 4, 5, 6 votes. There is a risk that we don’t gain thru to the second spherical (of voting).”

Cabral said Diack assured as much as six votes for $1.5 million after which came again and offered extra if he used to be paid an additional $500,000. Cabral said he licensed the fee.

“We did it,” Cabral said.

The gentle governor, who has been sentenced to almost 200 years in prison for his segment in a chain of corruption scandals, named several high athletes in his testimony.

Cabral also said that Brazil’s imprisoned gentle President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and the gentle mayor of the metropolis, Eduardo Paes, did no longer care for part in the map nonetheless had been educated about it after the real fact.

    Cabral made the revelations at a listening to requested by his unique defense personnel. The strategy of revealing admissions used to be made as segment of his plea reduce worth in hopes it might per chance presumably lead to a reduce worth in the sentences facing both him and his companion Adriana Ancelmo, who used to be also jailed for corruption.