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Brazilian police arrest Olympics chief in bribery investigation Brazilian police arrest Olympics chief in bribery investigation
(about 2 hours later)
Brazilian police have arrested the head of the national Olympics committee, Carlos Arthur Nuzman, who is accused of conspiring to bribe members of the International Olympic Committee to pick Rio de Janeiro as host of the 2016 games.Brazilian police have arrested the head of the national Olympics committee, Carlos Arthur Nuzman, who is accused of conspiring to bribe members of the International Olympic Committee to pick Rio de Janeiro as host of the 2016 games.
Brazilian investigators claim Nuzman helped arrange a $2m bribe to get the games for Rio de Janeiro. Carlos Nuzman, who is also an honorary International Olympic Committee member, was held for questioning last month by Brazilian and French authorities. They said he was a central figure in channeling $2m (£1.5m) to Lamine Diack, a former IOC member from Senegal who helped secure votes when Rio was picked by the IOC in 2009.
Leonardo Gryner, a former director of the national Olympics committee, was also arrested in a new phase of the so-called Unfair Play investigation, the police said. On Thursday, police said Nuzman would be held because investigators found he had tried to hamper the investigation by regularising assets likely gained with illicit money. About two weeks after being held for questioning, Nuzman amended his tax declaration to add about $600,000 in income, according to the arrest order.
In September police raided Nuzman’s home and he was summoned to face questions about how he secured the right to host South America’s first ever Olympics amid suspicions he was a key figure in a bribery scandal. The headquarters of the Brazilian Olympic Committee were also searched. “He clearly acted to obstruct the investigation,” said the order, adding that the lack of a clear origin of the extra money “indicated it was illicit”.
Nuzman’s lawyer, Sergio Mazzillo, said then his client was innocent. Investigators said they had also recovered a key they believed was for a safe in Switzerland containing gold.
In Nuzman’s last 10 years as Brazilian Olympic Committee president, his net worth increased 457% , according to investigators.
Nuzman’s lawyer, Nelio Machado, told news portal G1 that being detained like this was “harsh and unusual”.
Leonardo Gryner, the director-general of operations for the organising committee, was also arrested on Thursday morning.
Brazilian authorities have said the behind-the-scenes dealings to win the vote amounted to a “criminal organisation”. The 75-year-old Nuzman was one of the most prominent figures in bringing the games to Rio.
In a statement, the IOC said it was fully cooperating with the investigation and conducting its own investigation.
“Given the new facts, the IOC ethics commission may consider provisional measures while respecting Mr Nuzman’s right to be heard,” said the statement, which did not offer more details.