© Copyright – 2020 – Athletics Illustrated
When the great Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes said, “Every man is the son of his own works,” he was not thinking of the Diacks – they both can only be identified by their corrupted activities when they worked for the International Association of Athletics Federations, now World Athletics.
“Nice job, son,” by Homer Simpson also applies, doh!
In an apparent Hail Mary 11th-hour last-ditch effort to delay Lamine Diack’s trial in Paris, his yet-to-be-tried criminal son Papa Massata Diack submitted documents that have postponed the case until June 2020.
The trial is delayed after prosecutors received documents concerning testimony from the co-defendant.
The elder Diack is accused of corruption, influence-trafficking and money laundering in a case linked to the Russian doping scandal. He will remain in France after his lawyers’ request for a return to Senegal was turned down.
The 86-year-old is accused of covering up positive drug tests from Russian athletes.
The case will have a precedent-setting effect should either of the two be found guilty.
Prosecutors asked for more time to review the new evidence, who remains in Senegal.
They received three folders of notes, which apparently include testimony Papa Massata gave to investigators in Senegal hours before the start of the hearing.
The last-minute act postpones Diack’s eagerly-awaited trial, where he and advisor Habib Cisse and Gabriel Dolle, who is the former anti-doping chief at World Athletics.
Speculation can be made that perhaps Papa Massata has implicated other well-known people in the athletics community. It may be a case worthy of the quote, “Nice work, son,” however, it was likely a savvy lawyer maneuver – Papa Massata can’t be given that much credit.
