Former Olympic sprinter Frankie Fredericks has been charged by authorities in France with "corruption and money-laundering offences connected to the vote for the Rio 2016 Olympics," according to Martyn Ziegler of the LONDON TIMES. Fredericks, a member of the IOC, has been under investigation by French police since March over a $299,300 payment he received on the day Rio won the bid, October 2, 2009. The payment came from Papa Massata Diack, the son of former IAAF President Lamine Diack, who is "alleged to have been a central figure in the Rio bribery scandal." Fredericks and Papa Massata Diack have "denied any wrongdoing." Fredericks "insists that the payments were received for promotional services" provided between '07 and '11 under a contract signed on March 11, 2007, and "had nothing to do with the Olympics" (LONDON TIMES, 11/3). The BBC reported an IOC spokesperson said, "We have just been informed of the decision by the French judge. [Chief ethics and compliance officer] Paquerette Girard Zappelli will look into the file and report to the ethics commission, which is meeting on Monday. Like with any procedure, the right to be heard has to be respected" (BBC, 11/3).
