After four hours of indictment, the prosecutor François-Xavier Dulin agreed that it was necessary to take into account the age of Lamine Diack, "at the evening of his life" at the age of 87, but the Senegalese had committed " a offence huge [...] to the integrity that has caused a prejudice world ".
The former chairman (1999-2015) of the international Federation of athletics, and his son, who had hand-on marketing to the IAAF, are deemed to be in Paris, with four other persons to be allowed to delay, from 2011, disciplinary sanctions against Russian athletes suspected of doping.
The Parquet national financier, therefore, has required this Wednesday to four years in prison against the former boss of the athletics world Lamine Diack, and five for his son, Papa Massata, the trial of a system of corruption on background of doping in Russia and money from the sponsors. Against the father and the son, absent from his trial and against whom an arrest warrant has been required, prosecutors financial have also claimed eur 500 000 fine each and a ban on taking part in the sport.
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Contracts with sponsors, television rights
Their goal, according to the indictment : get a hand of the authorities in Moscow for the renewal of the contracts of sponsorship and broadcast with the State-owned bank of Russian VTB and the chain of public tv RTR, in view of the World Moscow 2013. But also receive funding from the Russian authorities to finance the opposition to the outgoing president Abdoulaye Wade in the presidential election of 2012 in Senegal, won by Macky Sall. This consideration, Lamine Diack himself had spontaneously mentioned during the investigation, speaking to a sum of $ 1.5 million, to finally disprove during the trial.
Often confused, he confined himself to recognize that he had given the order to spread out the sanctions against the Russians, for, according to him, saving the IAAF of a scandal fatal to its finances.
The prosecution also requested four years of imprisonment and confiscation of € 1.8 million against the former president of the Russian federation Valentin Balakhnitchev, described as close to Vladimir Putin at the time of the facts, and two years of imprisonment and 100 000 euros against the former coach Alexei Melnikov.
Absent and referred to also by applications for warrant of arrest, they are accused of taking funds to athletes who doped in exchange for a " total protection ", for a total estimated amount to 3.45 million euros. Facts that Lamine Diack ensures ignore.
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The Diack father and son
Tried for corruption, money laundering organised and breach of trust, he is also accused of having allowed his son, who was prosecuted for concealment of abuse of trust, corruption and money laundering, organised, appropriating several million euros in the negotiations with sponsors. Either by imposing its companies as intermediaries, either by granting commissions " exorbitant ", while he was already paid 1 $ 200 per day as a marketing consultant to the IAAF.
" PMD " is "everywhere and all the time and his father imposes everywhere, " summarized François-Xavier Dulin, describing the son of man" business rogue ". Now chaired by Sebastian Coe, World Athletics, the new name of the IAAF, claiming more than 41.2 million euros in damages to the defendants.
The two prosecutors have methodically dissected the case, listing the many e-mails, letters, wire transfers which gave credence to the accusations of corruption and describing the IAAF as a " paradise of the conflict of interests ", became " the object of its president ", who has "almost a rank of head of State" and " swim in money ".
In early 2010, the biological passport, a new weapon in the anti-doping allows to tighten the noose on Russia, and in November 2011, a list of 23 athletes suspect is established in the department of anti-doping the IAAF.
But Lamine Diack, his son and one of his counselors Habib Cissé fly to Moscow, where the first will be decorated by the then president Dmitry Medvedev. In Monaco, at the headquarters of the IAAF, the disciplinary files lying around in length, allowing multiple athletes to participate in the 2012 olympic games in London, and for some to be sacred.
The public prosecutor has requested two years in prison, including a suspended sentence, and 195 000 euros fine against the former boss of the anti-doping federation Gabriel Dollé, 78 years old, and three years in prison, including 18 months suspended sentence and 100 000 euros of penalty against Habib Cissé, as well as a prohibition to exercise the profession of lawyer.
The debate ends this Thursday, by the arguments of the defence.
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