{"id":1447,"date":"2020-09-24T14:13:50","date_gmt":"2020-09-24T18:13:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ielrblog.com\/?p=1447"},"modified":"2020-09-24T14:13:50","modified_gmt":"2020-09-24T18:13:50","slug":"french-court-sentences-diacks-to-prison-in-iaaf-corruption-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ielrblog.com\/index.php\/2020\/09\/24\/french-court-sentences-diacks-to-prison-in-iaaf-corruption-case\/","title":{"rendered":"French Court Sentences Diacks to Prison in IAAF Corruption Case"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the latest case involving French prosecution of international corruption, on September 16 the Paris Criminal Court convicted and sentenced<\/a> the former longtime head of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Lameke Diack and his son Papa Massata Diack to prison, for their respective roles in soliciting and accepting payments<\/a> from Russian athletes who were suspected of doping to cover up the allegations and allow them to continue competing, including in the 2012 London Olympic Games.<\/p>\n

In sentencing Lameke Diack, who reportedly<\/a> was found guilty of multiple corruption charges and of breach of trust but acquitted of money laundering, Judge Rose-Marie Hunault accepted the prosecution\u2019s sentencing recommendation<\/a> of four years\u2019 imprisonment and a maximum fine of \u20ac500,000 (US$593,423), but suspended two of those years, evidently because of Diack\u2019s advanced age (87)). \u00a0Indeed, Judge Hunault indicated<\/a> that he was unlikely to go to prison, saying “Given your age you can expect conditional release.”<\/p>\n

The court also sentenced Papa Massata Diack, who had worked as a marketing consultant for the IAAF, to four years\u2019 imprisonment and a \u20ac1 million (US$1.17 million) fine.\u00a0 Papa Massata was tried in absentia<\/a> because Senegal had refused to extradite him to France.<\/p>\n

In addition to the Diacks, the court convicted and sentenced four other defendants<\/a> connected with the corruption scheme. \u00a0\u00a0Gabriel Dolle, a doctor who supervised drug testing at the IAAF, received a suspended sentence of two years\u2019 imprisonment and a \u20ac140,000 (US$163,000) fine for taking money to slow doping sanctions.\u00a0 Habib Cisse, Lameke Diack\u2019s legal advisor, received a sentence<\/a> of three years\u2019 imprisonment (two of which were suspended).<\/p>\n

Two other defendants, former IAAF treasurer Valentin Balakhnichev and Russian coach of long-distance walkers and runners Alexei Melnikov, were tried and convicted in absentia.\u00a0 The court sentenced Balakhnichev<\/a> to three years\u2019 imprisonment and confiscation of nearly \u20ac1.9 million euros ($2.2 million) from his account in Monaco, and sentenced Melnikov<\/a> to two years\u2019 imprisonment.<\/p>\n

Several aspects of the trial deserve mention:<\/p>\n