Lamine Diack trial: former IAAF boss claims to have delayed proceedings

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On the third day of her trial before the 32nd chamber of the Paris court, Lamine Diack began to explain herself on the merits of the file and her alleged involvement in a system of corruption on the background of Russian doping. At the helm, the former boss of world athletics claimed to have delayed disciplinary proceedings against suspected Russian athletes.

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From our special correspondent at the Paris court, Laura Martel

On the issue of delayed disciplinary proceedings against suspected doping athletes, Lamine Diack is very clear: "  I decided to delay the sanctions  ", "  everyone said" daredevil president "  ", said does he even amuse…

As he repeated several times, "  it was necessary to save the federation  ": "  financial health comes first, I was ready for this compromise  ", he explains, mentioning in passing the importance of the contract of sponsor with the Russian bank VTB, but without providing more details.

Read also: Lamine Diack trial: Russian involvement at the heart of the debates

On the possible counterparts received, Lamine Diack is indeed more vague. What about the million and a half euros of Russian funding for the Senegalese electoral campaigns of 2012 that he himself had revealed to the investigators? "  I didn't ask for anything  ," says the octogenarian. He barely admits having mentioned this sum at the end of 2011 with the Russian Minister of Sports who wanted to know if he would be a candidate. "  But it was separate  " from the agreement, he said. A little later, he adds: "  I never received any money, the kids were helped  ".

Lamine Diack also ensures that he was unaware that athletes had paid hundreds of thousands of euros to escape the sanctions and that he "  fell from the clouds  ", when he learned from the investigators that his son Papa Massata Diack was involved in doping records.

Even when confronted with an email received, precisely, from her son in July 2013, and which mentions sums distributed to members of the federation deemed "  antagonistic  " to their management of Russian cases, Lamine Diack pleads ignorance. "  I read very little e  - mail, " he explains. Dubitative, the president urged him to give his opinion on what his son had written: "  If that's true, he behaved like a thug,  " he replies.

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