China News Service, September 17th. According to foreign media reports, the local court in Paris has officially sentenced the former IAAF Chairman Diac for corruption and bribery and was sentenced to four years in prison with a two-year suspension of execution.
Screenshot of foreign media report
Diak, 87 years old, is from Senegal and served as the chairman of the IAAF from 1999 to 2015.
This time he was accused of accepting six-figure bribes from Russian athletes to help the other party cover up doping behavior.
During the trial, Diak admitted that he did postpone the investigation of some Russian athletes suspected of using doping, but he said that the purpose of this move was not to shield these athletes, but to "protect the financial situation of the IAAF." Without being able to make a compromise.
In his defense, Diak said that the decision was taken because he was worried that the doping scandal would affect negotiations with sponsors.
The court stated that Diak could appeal the decision.
Also convicted was Diack’s son Papa Massata, who was sentenced to five years in prison and fined 1 million euros.
Diak and his son Papa Massata were also required to jointly compensate the World Athletics Federation 5 million euros.
World Athletics Federation Statement
After the verdict was announced, the World Athletics Federation issued a statement stating, “We regret that this happened in the sport of athletics, and thank the Paris Criminal Court for its strong and correct ruling.” (End)