The president of Brazil’s Olympic Committee has been arrested on charges of corruption, after he admitted having 16 gold bars in a Swiss bank.
According to state-run news agency Agencia Brasil, Carlos Nuzman, who oversaw the 2016 Rio Games, is alleged to have been involved in an operation to buy votes during the bidding process.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The general director of operations for the organising committee of Rio 2016, Leonardo Gryner, was also arrested. Both men are being indicted for corruption, money laundering and organised crime.
It follows a joint investigation, dubbed Operation Unfair Play, conducted with Brazilian, French and US police.
In September, the BBC reported that Nuzman had his home searched and passport seized before being questioned. It was at this time that he admitted to possessing the gold bars.
Yesterday, prosecutors issued a statement saying that “in the past 10-22 years of his presidency of the Brazilian Olympic Committee, Nuzman increased his wealth by 457%, without a clear indication of [where this came from]”.
Earlier this year former Rio State Governor Sergio Cabral was jailed for 14 years after participating in the embezzlement of $64m (£49m) from construction contracts, including the renovation of Rio’s Maracana stadium, where the 2016 opening and closing ceremonies were held.
-
Political cartoons for January 19Cartoons Monday's political cartoons include Greenland tariffs, fighting the Fed, and more
-
Spain’s deadly high-speed train crashThe Explainer The country experienced its worst rail accident since 2013, with the death toll of 39 ‘not yet final’
-
Can Starmer continue to walk the Trump tightrope?Today's Big Question PM condemns US tariff threat but is less confrontational than some European allies
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
