(ATR) Patrick Hickey could return to Brazil to testify before a judge early next year.
Hickey currently is waiting for his $439,000 bail payment toprocess through the Brazilian banking system. When payment has passed compliance with the Brazilian central bank Hickey will be eligible to receive his passport back immediately. Hickey is expected to leave Brazil to seek treatment for a heart condition.
On Nov. 16 Judge Juliana Leal de Melo accepted the position of State Prosecutor Marcos Kac, ruling to return Hickey’s passport in exchange for a bail payment. Hickey was arrested during the 2016 Olympics in connection with a ticketing scandal involving sports hospitality packager THG and the Olympic Council of Ireland. He has remained in Rio since his arrest.
Kac spoke with Around the Rings about what is next for the case after Hickey leaves Brazil. He said the remaining processes involved before the case goes to trial are mostly "bureaucracies of the court". Those processes will inevitably be delayed when the court closes at the end of the month for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
"I believe [the trial] will happen early next year," Kac said to ATR. "All that is left is administrative issues and marking the hearings."
Kac could not set an exact date for when Hickey would be summoned to return to Brazil to testify. The expectation of his return was noted in Judge Melo’s decision to grant the release of Hickey’s passport.
There is no formal extradition treaty between Brazil and Ireland, which could complicate matters if Hickey refuses to cooperate with Brazilian authorities. José Renato Bernardes da Costa, a public defender from the State of Bahia, told ATRthe case would most likely die in the Brazilian court system if Hickey never returned.
"The legal process would practically stop," da Costa added. "It would be virtually impossible to proceed without him here."
There is no codified guarantee that would force Hickey to return to Rio to testify in his trial, Kac said. After his arrest, Hickey said in a statement he would "fight each and every" charge levied against him. Although Hickey has stepped aside from his Olympic family roles, the IOC has maintained the "presumption of innocence" for Hickey and pledged to respect the Brazilian judicial process.
No matter what, the trial will continue. Should Hickey be found guilty, Brazil would work to bring him back to Rio to serve his sentence.
"There is no guarantee for his return," Kac said. "If [Hickey is] convicted, we will issue a red notice for Interpol International."
Written by Aaron Bauer
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