Athletics "was plunged into further turmoil" as it emerged that former IAAF President Lamine Diack "is under formal investigation by French prosecutors as part of inquiry into suspected corruption," according to the LONDON TIMES. Diack, 82, who ended his 16-year reign as president of athletics’ world governing body in August, "has been placed under formal inquiry along with Habib Cisse, his legal adviser." According to French news channel iTELE, the investigation "is focused on suspicions that payments were made in return for not revealing failed doping tests of Russian athletes." The inquiry "was prompted by a complaint" from WADA. IAAF Anti-Doping Dir Gabriel Dolle "has also been formally interviewed." The PA also reported that IAAF President Sebastian Coe, who took over from Diack in August, "has spoken to the investigators." An IAAF statement read, "The IAAF confirms that, emanating from separate ongoing investigations by Wada’s independent commission and the IAAF’s own independent ethics commission into allegations surrounding its anti-doping rules and regulations, a French police investigation has now commenced" (LONDON TIMES, 11/4). REUTERS' Chine Labbé wrote the prosecutor's office did not confirm that but said its investigation started when WADA alerted it to "acts of corruption and laundering" involving members of the IAAF. Under French law, "magistrates place a person under formal investigation when they believe there are indications of wrongdoing, but that does not always lead to a trial." A source in the French judiciary said that the investigation "concerns money movements and goes beyond doping." The Monaco-based IAAF confirmed a police swoop took place at its headquarters on Tuesday "to carry out interviews and access documentation." It said that "it was fully cooperating with the probe" (REUTERS, 11/4). In London, Sean Ingle wrote the investigation by French police into the IAAF "is believed to center on the case of the Russian marathon runner Liliya Shobukhova," who last year alleged that two members of the Russian Athletics Federation extorted $450,000 from her in return for covering up a positive test. Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said, "God knows what's going on there. We've already said that our federation has problems. The old management isn't working there anymore. Understand that there are a lot of criminal cases going on in the world right now and those are unclear cases." Meanwhile, the AP reported that WADA first approached French prosecutors in August with evidence of wrongdoing. According to the AP, the official said Diack is suspected of pocketing "about €200,000 ($217,400)" to cover up an "as yet undetermined number of doping positives." The official said that "the money is thought to have come from the Russian athletics federation" (GUARDIAN, 11/4). The BBC reported WADA President Craig Reedie said that "he was unable to comment on the Diack case until the publication of a report by an independent commission into the allegations of systemic doping" (BBC, 11/4).
