The former head of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Lamine Diack, has been jailed after he was found guilty of corruption.
The Senegalese became head of the IAAF in 1999 and headed athletic’s governing body till 2015.
However, he was investigated and charged with corruption, bribery, and money laundering, as part of the Russian doping scandal.
Diack is said to have covered up the test results for athletes suspected of doping after accepting bribes from them.
He then allegedly allowed them to compete in various competitions, including in the 2012 London Olympics.
The 87-year-old has since been convicted and handed a four-year prison sentence, two of them suspended.
In addition to the prison sentence, the Senegalese has also been given a maximum fine of 500,000 euros.
Lamine Diack: Former IAAF head found guilty of corruption and given a two-year prison sentence.
The Senegalese, 87, found guilty for allowing Russian athletes to pay bribes to compete.
His son,handed 5 years sentence. pic.twitter.com/4rrWO3YbDU
— Ayishatu Zakaria Ali (@ayishatu_) September 16, 2020
The judge described actions as having “undermined the values of athletics and the fight against doping”.
Meanwhile, Diack’s son Papa Massata Diack – who was handed a lifetime ban from athletics in 2016 – was also fined 1m euros and sentenced to five years in prison.
Diack’s lawyers said the judgement was “unfair and inhumane” and revealed their intention to appeal.
In a statement, Athletic’s governing body said “the reforms our congress approved in 2016 will ensure that similar actions by individuals can never happen again in our sport”.
