Former Rio de Janeiro governor Sérgio Cabral (MDB) said on Thursday that ex-athletes Alexander Popov of Russia and Sergei Bubka of Ukraine were given kickbacks to vote for Rio de Janeiro to host the 2016 Olympics.
He also said that former mayor Eduardo Paes (DEM) and former president Lula (PT) were aware of the purchase of votes. The two, according to the former governor, did not participate in the negotiation and operation of the bribes.
Cabral told this to Judge Marcelo Bretas in a case in which he is accused of having paid $ 2 million to Senegalese Lamine Diack, former president of the international athletics federation, to influence the choice of the city to host the Games. Other defendants in the case include ex-president of the Brazilian Olympic Committee Carlos Arthur Nuzman and former Rio 2016 director Leonardo Gryner.
Sought out, Paes, Lula, and Nuzman denied any participation in the scheme.
The former governor said it was Nuzman who suggested paying the tip to Lamine. They feared they would not pass the first round of voting.
Cabral said that Nuzman and Gryner then sought him for an additional $ 500,000 to secure up to nine votes.
Cabral said Lamine told Guzman and Gryner about the involvement of the two athletes, members of the IOC electoral college.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon