Independent panel finds no evidence of bribery in Tokyo’s Olympic bid
An independent panel commissioned by the Japanese Olympic Committee has found no evidence of wrongdoing in Tokyo’s bid to win the 2020 Summer Games.
The bid came under suspicion when it was discovered that officials paid $2.3 million to a Singapore consulting firm with ties to the son of Lamine Diack, the former IAAF president who is facing corruption charges.
A report released Thursday by the independent panel said Tokyo 2020 officials did not know Papa Massata Diack was linked to the firm.
“The investigation concludes that the contents and execution process of the payment are not in violation of any Japanese law,” lawyer Yoshihisa Hayakawa, who headed the panel, told reporters. “Any violation of the [International Olympic Committee] code of ethics also could not be found.”
Despite the panel’s findings, questions about the bid committee’s activities remain unanswered. The French investigation of Diack continues.
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