Brazil Olympics chief gets 30 years for buying votes for Rio 2016 games

The longtime head of the Brazilian Olympic Committee was reportedly sentenced to 30 years in prison for buying votes so Rio de Janeiro could host the 2016 Olympics Games.

Carlos Arthur Nuzman was sentenced by Judge Marcelo Bretas to 30 years and 11 months in prison, although he won’t be put in prison until all his appeals are gone through, The Associated Press reported on Friday.

Nuzman was reportedly found guilty of criminal organization, tax evasion, corruption and money laundering. 

The court found he bribed the former president of the International Association of Athletics Federations, Lamine Diack, and his son for votes so the games could be held in Brazil.

Nuzman allegedly did this in coordination with former Rio Gov. Sergio Cabral, former Rio committee Director General Leonardo Gryner and businessman Arthur Soares, according to the AP. The three men were also sentenced to jail. 

Bretas said Nuzman was “one of the main responsibles for the promotion and the organization of the criminal scheme, given his position in the Brazilian Olympic Committee and before international authorities.” 

Cabral admitted to the court he paid $2 million to get six votes for Brazil to host the Games with $500,000 later given to Diack’s son, Papa Massata Diack, for three more votes.

“Now, the IOC [International Olympic Committee] ethics commission will study the judgement against Mr. Nuzman and will make its recommendations as soon as it receives the full information from the Brazilian authorities,” the IOC said following the ruling made public on Thursday, the AP noted. 

The judge will also reported send the verdict to Senegal, where Diack lives, and France, where Papa Massata Diack lives.