© Copyright – 2020 – Athletics Illustrated
Former president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF, now World Athletics), at his trial in Paris on various corruption charges, referred to his son Papa Massata Diack as a thug.
The younger Diack is currently in his native Senegal, although he has faced an extradition hearing with a judge in Dakar. There are several others who also are on trial for various corruption charges. The others including his sone are former advisor Habib Cisse, Gabriel Dolle, who was the anti-doping chief at the IAAF, former ARAF President Balakhnichev and Alexei Melnikov, the former head Russian distance coach.
Appearing in Paris criminal court, the elder Diack spoke in court Thursday about the alleged corruption that apparently went on from 1999 to 2015, during the 16 years that he presided over the IAAF.
Prosecutors charge that Diack extorted athletes to conceal their doping offences, allowing them to participate in events like the 2012 London Olympic Games and the 2013 Moscow World Athletics Championships.
Diack refused to connect the management of Russian doping cases and funding of $1.5 million to contribute to the defeat of his rival Abdoulaye Wade in the 2012 Presidential election in Senegal.
In regard to the alleged corruption around the doping cases, Dick told the course that he made the decision to spread out disciplinary sanctions against Russia to protect the IAAF’s finances.
He claimed the money came from the former president of the Russian Federation of Athletics (ARAF), Valentin Balakhnitchev, who is also on trial as part of the case.
The case continues today with the hearings scheduled next week.
