Carlos Nuzman: Rio 2016 Olympic boss sentenced to 31 years in prison

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Former head of the Rio Olympics: Carlos Nuzman

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BRUNO KELLY / REUTERS

Former chairman of the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB), Carlos Nuzman, has been sentenced to 30 years and 11 months in prison in connection with bribes at the 2016 Rio Summer Games.

This was reported by the Brazilian media, citing a court in Rio de Janeiro.

In addition to Nuzman, the former head of marketing at COB, Leonardo Gryner, were sentenced to 13 years and ten months and the ex-governor of Rio de Janeiro, Sergio Cabral, who had already been convicted of other corruption cases, to ten years and eight months in prison.

All three were charged in 2017 with corruption, membership of a criminal organization, money laundering and tax evasion.

Vote buying to bring Olympics to Rio

In 2019, Cabral granted bribes for the first time when the Brazilian metropolis was bidding for the 2016 Olympic Games.

Together with the 79-year-old Nuzman, who was also the head of the Olympic organization, and the Brazilian entrepreneur Arthur Soares, he bought the votes of several IOC members before the decisive vote at the 2009 International Olympic Committee in order to secure the Games for Rio, said Cabral .

The long-time head of the IAAF World Athletics Federation and IOC member Lamine Diack and his son helped.

The two Senegalese were sentenced to prison terms for other offenses in Paris last September.

Rio prevailed against Madrid, Tokyo and Chicago in the election.

hba / dpa / sid