French authorities are investigating payments worth about $2m to a company linked to the son of former world athletics chief Lamine Diack over alleged connections to Japan’s successful bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games.
法国当局正在调查与国际田联(IAAF)前主席拉明•迪亚克(Lamine Diack)之子有关的一家公司收到的价值约200万美元的款项,这件事据称牵涉到日本成功申办2020年奥运会。
A first alleged payment in July 2013 and a second one three months later were made under the title of “Tokyo 2020 Olympic Game Bid” from a Japanese bank account to a Singapore account held by Black Tidings, the French financial prosecutor’s office said in a statement yesterday. Black Tidings is reported to have links to Papa Massata Diack, son of Lamine Diack.
法国金融检察官办公室周四在一份声明中表示,第一笔涉案款项在2013年7月支付,第二笔在三个月后支付,其汇款事由一栏都写着“东京2020年奥运会申办”,它们都从一个日本的银行账户汇至Black Tidings在新加坡持有的一个账户。Black Tidings据报道与迪亚克的儿子帕帕•马萨塔•迪亚克(Papa Massata Diack)有关联。
The probe will put pressure on the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which reformed its bid process after becoming engulfed in a bribery scandal related to the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games.
这场调查将给国际奥委会(IOC)带来压力。在被卷入与2002年盐湖城冬奥会有关的一场贿赂丑闻后,国际奥委会曾改革其申办过程。
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), already dealing with doping scandals involving countries such as Russia and Kenya, banned Papa Massata Diack from the sport for life in January following an investigation into corruption at the organisation. It is also continuing to probe the activities of Lamine Diack during his leadership of the IAAF.
已经在对付不止一场兴奋剂丑闻(涉及俄罗斯和肯尼亚等国)的国际田联,今年1月对帕帕•马萨塔•迪亚克发出这项运动的终身禁令,此前该组织就腐败行为进行了调查。国际田联还在继续调查拉明•迪亚克在执掌该组织期间的活动。
Lawyers for Mr Diack senior did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The younger Mr Diack, who lives in Senegal, could also not be reached for comment.
拉明•迪亚克的律师没有立即回应记者的置评请求。记者联系不上居住在塞内加尔的帕帕•马萨塔•迪亚克请其置评。
Japan’s Olympic organisers, police and central government have scotched media reports that have questioned the bidding process for the 2020 Tokyo games. Yoshihide Suga, the government’s chief spokesman, said he had “no thought” of Tokyo launching its own investigation into bribery claims surrounding the country’s bid. “It is understood that the bidding for the Olympic Games was done cleanly,” he said.
日本的奥运会组织者、警方和中央政府都驳斥了质疑2020年东京奥运会申办过程的媒体报道。内阁官房长官菅义伟(Yoshihide Suga)表示,他“没有想过”东京方面要对涉及该国申办过程的贿赂指控展开调查。“据了解,奥运会申办过程是廉洁的,”他说。
The French prosecutor is also investigating allegations of bribes to cover up positive Russian doping tests by the IAAF when Lamine Diack was president. He stepped down as president in November last year. He was a member of the IOC between 1999 and 2013.
法国检察官也在调查关于拉明•迪亚克担任主席期间,国际田联掩盖俄罗斯运动员阳性药检结果的指控。迪亚克在去年11月离职。1999年至2013年期间他是国际奥委会成员。
The prosecutor’s office has started a separate inquiry into the Japanese payments, over suspicions of corruption and money laundering in connection with the bidding process for the 2020 Olympics. The investigation, led by three judges, is continuing.
法国检方对日本的汇款启动了另一项调查,针对与2020年奥运会申办过程有关的腐败和洗钱嫌疑。由三名法官牵头的这场调查仍在进行中。
A spokesman for the prosecutor said the judges leading the new investigation were the same ones leading the separate probe into the IAAF allegations.
检方发言人证实,牵头新调查的法官就是对涉及国际田联的指控展开调查的那些法官。
The allegations are the latest torment for the Japanese Olympic organising committee, which has been forced to scrap the late Zaha Hadid’s design for the main stadium in Tokyo because the projected costs ran too high, and to tear up the main logo for the games after allegations the design was plagiarised.
这些指控对日本奥组委来说是最新的折磨。此前该组织已被迫放弃已故的扎哈•哈迪德(Zaha Hadid)的东京主场馆设计方案(原因是该方案预计成本太高),并被迫放弃了东京奥运会的主要标识(该设计被指控抄袭)。
In a more recent blow this week, the president of one of Japan’s most prestigious women’s universities condemned as sexist and anachronistic a song written by Yasushi Akimoto, a professional songwriter who sits on the executive board for the Tokyo Olympics.
日本奥组委本周受到的另一个打击是,日本最负盛名的女子大学之一的校长谴责由专业歌词作者秋元康(Yasushi Akimoto)作词的一首歌性别歧视和落后于时代;秋元康是东京奥运会理事。
On Wednesday, a report in UK newspaper The Guardian questioned the legitimacy of Tokyo’s success in securing the games, suggesting votes may have been bought during the selection process. Hikariko Ono, a spokeswoman for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic organisers, said the committee had “no means of knowing these allegations. We believe that the games were awarded to Tokyo because the city presented the best bid.”
周三,英国《卫报》(The Guardian)质疑东京成功申办奥运会的合法性,暗示有人可能在遴选过程中收买了选票。2020年东京奥运会组委会发言人小野日子(Hikariko Ono)表示,该委员会“无从知道这些指控。我们相信,东京获得举办资格,是因为这个城市提交了最佳申办方案”。
But she added Japan would respond “properly” should it receive any requests from the French authorities.
但她补充说,如果日本接到法国当局的任何请求,它将作出“恰当”回应。
The IAAF declined to comment. The IOC said: “The IOC’s chief ethics and compliance officer will continue to be in contact with all interested parties to clarify any alleged improper conduct.”
国际田联拒绝发表评论。国际奥委会表示:“国际奥委会的首席道德与合规官将继续与有关各方接触,以澄清任何受到指控的不当行为。”
The allegations have come to light amid renewed scrutiny of Tokyo’s governor, Yoichi Masuzoe, who faces questions over huge spending on official trips overseas and the heavy use of Tokyo metropolitan government vehicles to visit his holiday home.
这些指控浮出水面之际,东京都知事舛添要一(Yoichi Masuzoe)再次受到密切关注,他面临着不少质疑,包括在海外公务旅行时开销巨大,以及大量使用市政府的公车去自己的度假屋。