Japan’s prime minister "has promised to cooperate fully with French authorities investigating suspicious payments made to a secret bank account alleged to have helped Tokyo secure the 2020 Olympics," according to McCurry & Gibson of the London GUARDIAN.
Japan PM Shinzo Abe: “I have instructed the education and sports minister to fully cooperate in the investigation." The investigation centers on two payments, totaling at least $2M, French prosecutors have said, that Tokyo’s bid committee "made in July and October 2013 to Black Tidings, an account in Singapore linked to Papa Massata Diack," the son of disgraced former IAAF President Lamine Diack.
Black Tidings’ account is held by Ian Tan Tong Han who, according to an independent report, "was a consultant to Athletics Management and Services." AMS was set up "to market and deliver the commercial rights" granted to it by the IAAF.
Japanese Olympic Committee President Tsunekazu Takeda, who led Tokyo’s bid, insisted that the payments "were legitimate and had been made in return for consulting services." Takeda and former Tokyo Bid Committee Dir General Nobumuto Higuchi said in a statement, "The payments mentioned in the media were a legitimate consultant’s fee paid to the services we received from Mr Tan’s company. It followed a full and proper contract and the monies were fully audited by Ernst & Young ShinNihon LLC" (GUARDIAN, 5/16).
