A court has sentenced a former president of the Brazilian Olympic Committee to nearly 31 years in prison for buying votes to win Rio de Janeiro’s bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.
As reported by Agence France-Presse, Carlos Nuzman, 79, was convicted in federal court of masterminding the payment of around $2 million in bribes to the former head of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Lamine Diack, and his son Papa Massata Diack to buy votes for Rio’s candidacy.
The ex-official was convicted of corruption, organized crime, money laundering and smuggling cash, Rio de Janeiro judge Marcelo Bretas said in sentencing Nuzman on Thursday to 30 years and 11 months.
Nuzman, who led the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) from 1995 to 2017, was granted conditional release following his arrest four years ago and will now remain free pending appeal.
The court also convicted ex-COB operations and marketing director Leonardo Gryner and former Rio de Janeiro governor Sergio Cabral, who has already been serving a series of corruption sentences since 2016. Gryner was sentenced to 13 years and 10 months, and Cabral to 10 years and eight months.
“Nuzman was one of the primary people responsible for organizing this criminal scheme, given his position, directing and coordinating the activities of the other participants and playing a clear role as leader,” the judge wrote.
