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Cloud of corruption over IOC
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-08-05 06:15
Two senior members of the Olympic movement told undercover
journalists posing as business agents they could corrupt the 2012 Olympic
bidding process, BBC TV alleges.
On Tuesday, one of those implicated denied the claims to be made during a one
hour-long programme scheduled to air later this week. The other could not be
contacted immediately.
Bulgarian International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Ivan Slavkov said he
and an agent had been launching their own counter-operation to catch people
trying to "entrap" Olympic officials.
In the most damaging scenes from the programme, already the subject of an IOC
investigation, Slavkov is shown discussing ways to secure votes for 2012.
The programme also shows Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) director general
Muttaleb Ahmad explaining how he can influence IOC votes, stirring memories of
the Salt Lake City corruption scandal that rocked the movement six years ago.
BBC undercover reporters, posing as consultants acting for London
businessmen, ask Slavkov: "Have you already decided where your allegiances lie?"
"Not yet," Slavkov replies.
BBC: "Not yet, so you're open to negotiations?"
Slavkov: "Yes."
BBC: "So how do you encourage people to ... you know ... see the benefits?"
Slavkov: "I would say the different ... you know ... approach, different
approach. Some are businessmen and they are interested in favours."
BBC: "Yes, they want favours."
Slavkov: "Yes, in some areas they are interested."
BBC: "So you think you may be able to offer them a business contract or..."
Slavkov: "Yes, yes. The other, the others just are ... they believe in
sport."
Slavkov then sits quietly as the reporters hold discussions with the agent,
Goran Takatch, who arranged the meeting.
The cost of any help by Slavkov was included in figures previously given by
Takatch to the BBC reporters - a total of up to 3.4 million euros (US$4.1
million) for influencing up to 20 IOC members.
Letter released
Slavkov on Tuesday released a letter he had sent in reply to an inquiry from
the BBC after the meeting.
Slavkov, accused in the Salt Lake scandal but later cleared, said he had been
approached by Takatch with a plan to "sting" a group of corrupt businessmen, in
fact the BBC reporters.
"Having paid a heavy price for media harassment (after 1998), I also felt
that the real hooligans should be brought into light, and I accepted to meet
with the 'corrupters'," he wrote.
"I could not imagine that they were your paid provocateurs ... Whatever I
could say during this meeting was intended to trap the 'corrupters.'"
He added in the letter that Takatch had also informed IOC vice-president
Vitaly Smirnov, who had then told IOC president Jacques Rogge about the plan to
meet the consultants.
In an interview on Tuesday Smirnov said he warned Takatch not to deal with
anybody on matters involving Olympic bids, and added that he had told Rogge
about what Takatch had told him.
"He (Rogge) told me that if Goran had been approached he should inform the
IOC's ethics commission," Smirnov added. "Then I relayed the message to Takatch
and that was it."
Takatch told a Belgrade newspaper on Wednesday he suspected immediately that
the people he met purporting to represent British businessmen were crooks.
He said: "They phoned me and said they were consultants of a group of London
entrepreneurs, rich men who had a big financial interest in bringing the
Olympics to London."
There had been no further contact until July 1 when they met in Sofia where
he personally was offered just under 1 million euros in what he described as a
"dirty BBC game."
Giving cash
The IOC investigation into the Salt Lake corruption scandal led to 10 IOC
members resigning or being expelled in connection with bribery and to a
tightening of the rules governing contact between IOC members and bidding
cities.
The BBC programme also features Ahmad at the OCA headquarters in Kuwait.
He says: "You have to approach the IOC members, not necessarily with an
official appointment because they'd shy away from that.
"I always shy away from freely giving cash, I don't do this, okay. I advise
that this guy is in need and you ... your assistant has to go to him, I don't
act like that."
Ahmad then went through a list of IOC members, ticking off 34 who he
considers to be "approachable" and four who are totally under his control.
"And the guy from [word deleted], that person, you give him money he will
take the money still, even with those guidelines," Ahmad says in the programme.
Ahmad was not immediately available for comment on Tuesday despite numerous
attempts to contact him.
Although the undercover reporters said they were acting for London business
interests, the London 2012 bid made clear in a statement on Tuesday the
programme contained "no material of direct concern to the London Olympic bid".
London, Paris, New York, Madrid and Moscow are on the shortlist for the 2012
Games.
The host city will be named in July 2005 after a vote by
IOC members.
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