Twist in the endless affair of corruption of the former leaders of World Athletics and Russian doping. Sentenced at first instance in 2020 then on appeal in 2023 to five years of imprisonment for passive corruption, complicity in passive corruption, corruption and concealment, the Senegalese Papa Massata Diack, son of the former boss of world athletics Lamine Diack , sees his sentences annulled by the Court of Cassation and will therefore be retried by a Court of Appeal.
In its judgment, the high court considers that the former marketing consultant of the International Athletics Federation (Iaaf, now World Athletics), must be retried on the grounds of “complicity in passive corruption”, the Paris Court of Appeal not having sufficiently justified his decision by finding him guilty last year.
The prison sentence and the fine of 500,000 euros to which he was sentenced on appeal are also canceled and will be redefined during the new trial. The Court of Cassation, which does not judge on the merits, however confirms the guilt of Mr. Diack concerning the other charges (passive bribery, corruption and receiving stolen goods).
This partial annulment of the conviction of Papa Massata Diack marks a new turning point in this affair of corruption and doping of Russian athletes in 2011, a scandal revealed in 2015 and which had shaken the world of athletics and sport in general.
At first instance and then on appeal, Papa Massata Diack was found guilty of complicity in a bribery system aimed at hiding cases of blood doping among Russian athletes in 2011, a year before the Olympic Games in London.
Six protagonists condemned
By dragging out sanction procedures against these athletes with suspect biological passports, the International Federation allowed some of them to participate in these Games. In return, the major Russian sponsors had renewed their contracts with the IAAF with a view to the 2013 World Championships in Moscow.
Nicknamed “PMD”, Papa Massata Diack was also found guilty of having embezzled funds amounting to 15 million euros from sponsorship contracts, via a set-up of shell companies. The affair had also precipitated the fall of his father, the former boss of world athletics Lamine Diack, and four other protagonists.
Sentenced to four years in prison at first instance in 2020, Diack-père died in 2021 and the proceedings against him ended, as did those targeting the Frenchman Gabriel Dollé, former head of anti-doping at the Iaaf, also deceased.
Two Russian sports officials at the material time, Valentin Balakhnitchev and Alexeï Melnikov, did not appeal. The sixth protagonist, Habib Cissé, was sentenced to three years in prison, suspended on appeal, but this former personal advisor to Lamine Diack appealed to “PMD” and will also be retried.
With lequipe.fr
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