(ATR) British newspaper Daily Mail reports that former IAAF executive Nick Davies has told the athletics federation Ethics Board about the circumstances of a £25,000 payment he received in 2013 from the son of disgraced ex-IAAF president Lamine Diack.
Diack is supposed to appear in court this week in Paris where he is subject to a criminal investigation for suspicion of bribery and money laundering. French prosecutors believe Diack took part in a scheme to conceal positive drug tests by Russian track and field athletes.
Diack’s son, Papa Massata Diack, is suspected of assisting with the financial transactions. The younger Diack remains in his native Senegal as he is subject to arrest under an Interpol order if he tries to travel internationally.
Davies is quoted in the newspaper that he was unaware the money he received while on the IAAF staff was for unscrupulous purposes.
"‘I was conned and never for a second was I told, or thought, this money was to ensure cover-ups of doping in Russia. That would have been abhorrent to me.
"‘I thought I could trust Lamine Diack and it was my job to promote and protect the image of the IAAF and the World Championships. The first I heard about the allegations of extortion and cover-ups of Russian doping cases by IAAF representatives was in 2014.
"'I was never mixed up or aware of the criminal activities which are now in the public domain,’" is how the paper quotes Davies.
Davies, an IAAF veteran, remained at the Monaco headquarters when Diack retired in 2015, becoming deputy secretary general for newly-elected fellow Briton Sebastian Coe. Davies resigned from the IAAF last December when the payment he received from Diack’s son was publicly disclosed.
An investigation last year by the newspaper revealed an email Davies sent to the IAAF president with a five-point plan to avoid the disclosure of the Russian doping.
The accusations about systemic doping by Russian track and field athletes led the IAAF to ban the entire Russian athletics team from competing in Russia.
The IAAF Ethics Board has yet to rule on the case involving Davies and Diack’s son. A spokeswoman for the IAAF says the federation will not comment while the case is pending.
Written by Ed Hula.
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