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Lamine Diack on the way to deliver the verdict
Photo: CHARLES PLATIAU / REUTERS
Former top athletics official Lamine Diack has been sentenced to prison in a corruption trial.
A court in Paris sentenced him to four years in prison, two of which were suspended, the tax prosecutor's office confirmed.
The 87-year-old Senegalese Diack had been charged with fraud, corruption, embezzlement and money laundering.
In June, the public prosecutor's office demanded a four-year prison sentence and a maximum fine of 500,000 euros for Diack.
During his tenure as World Athletics Federation President, from 1999 to 2015, Diack is said to have extorted several million euros directly or indirectly and, in return, covered up positive doping tests, mainly from Russian athletes, according to the prosecutor.
Several athletes were able to take part in the 2012 Olympic Games in London and win gold.
In June, Diack had already made a partial confession.
Diack is also said to have benefited financially from the award of the Olympic Games to Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
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cev / dpa
