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The Tokyo 2020 consulting firm that worked on the winning Olympic bid paid $370,000 to Papa Massata Diack, the son of former IOC member and World Athletics president Lamine Diack, according to Japanese news agency Kyodo.
The ason of Lamine Diack (87) had the gall during a media conference that he held in Dakar, Senegal to blame the “Anglo Saxons” for his troubles. He was also allegedly paid approximately $500,000 from the 2019 Doha World Athletics Championships committee. He sent a cease and desist letter from a New York-based law firm to several media outlets including Athletics Illustrated to keep the truth of his alleged corrupt behavior from being re-told.
ARD TV’s Hajo Seppelt was one of the first to investigate the Diacks. He is known for the documentary How Russia Makes Champions as well as exposing potential doping in Kenya.
While Papa Massata’s father was extradited to Paris to face charges, he fused to go. Lamine was convicted and sentenced last week to two years in prison. During the trial, his father referred to his son as a thug. Senegal refused to support the extradition.
Black Tidings Consultancy
Allegedly, the payment was made during the time the Japanese capital was awarded the right to host the 2020 Olympics Games.
The company is called Black Tidings. The Singapore-based firm is now defunct. Apparently, there is no trace of what happened with the money.
Tsunekazu Takeda, the president of the Japanese Olympic Committee, admitted that he signed off on the payment, however, denied any wrongdoing. He was forced to resign from his position and from the IOC in 2019 as he also faced an investigation by French authorities.
The trail of deceit is an ultramarathon event in itself, there were several others who were charged, convicted, and sentenced. Some have ties to the shenanigans that went on in Russia to do with systematic doping.
The others
Former IAAF treasurer Valentin Balakhnichev, also convicted in his absence handed the Russian a three-year jail sentence. Apparently, money would be confiscated from his account in Monaco, where the IAAF is based. Balakhnichev plans to appeal.
“I have been deprived of the legal right to defend myself. They said that I was not cooperating with the investigation and I categorically disagree with that,” he said.
Dr. Gabriel Dolle oversaw drug testing at the IAAF, was handed a two-year suspended jail term. He was fined $163,000.
Lawyer Habib Cisse was found guilty. He was Diack’s lawyer when at the IAAF. The judge determined that Cisse was integral in the corruption that took place in the sporting organization. Russian coach Alexei Melnikov, who was tried and sentenced in his absence.
