The Court of Cassation partially annulled the conviction of Papa Massata Diack, handed down in the context of the corruption and doping of Russian athletes case in 2011.
Sentenced to five years in prison for corruption and complicity in corruption, he will have to be retried by the Paris Court of Appeal, which will again examine his guilt on certain charges. Papa Massata Diack, son of the former president of the International Athletics Federation (IAAF) Lamine Diack, was found guilty at first instance and on appeal of having participated in a bribery network aimed at concealing cases of blood doping among Russian athletes. This system would have allowed some of them to participate in the London Olympic Games in 2012, in exchange for sponsorship contracts from Russian sponsors.
The Court of Cassation considered that the Court of Appeal had not sufficiently justified its judgment concerning Diack’s complicity in passive corruption. This new trial could also re-examine the sentences handed down, in particular the fine of 500,000 euros and the prison sentence. This turnaround offers Papa Massata Diack a new opportunity to defend his cause, while he remains accused of having embezzled around 15 million euros via complex financial arrangements.
Wiwsport.com
Senegal
