PARIS — Former IAAF president Lamine Diack said at his corruption trial on Monday that he should have kept a tighter rein on the athletics governing body that prosecutors allege became a nest of malfeasance under his watch.
The fourth day of the six-day trial largely focused on allegations that Diack enabled his son who worked as an IAAF marketing consultant to cream off millions of dollars from sponsors. Diack was the IAAF president for nearly 16 years. The son, Papa Massata Diack, lives in Senegal and is being tried in his absence.
Both father and son are being tried on corruption, money laundering and breach of trust charges.
Asked by his own defense at the hearing whether he should have been more vigilant during his IAAF presidency that ended in 2015, the 87-year-old Diack replied: “Undoubtedly.”
The court heard allegations that Papa Massata Diack used his IAAF marketing role and powers given to him by his father to siphon off sponsorship revenues. One contract alone, with Russian bank VTB, allegedly enabled the son to turn a profit of about $10 million, or around one-third the value of the deal.
The IAAF lawyer said the bulk of the revenues from that contract “evaporated,” much of it into the son’s hands, and that only one quarter of the $28 million paid by VTB ended up in the governing body’s coffers. The IAAF is hoping to recoup $46 million in lost revenues via the court.
The trial concludes on Thursday, at which point the judge should announce when to expect the verdict.
HOCKEY
NHL: The Buffalo Sabres signed defenseman Oskari Laaksonen to a three-year entry-level contract on Monday. Laaksonen was Buffalo’s third-round pick in the 2017 draft and spent the past two-plus seasons playing in Finland’s Elite League.
The 20-year-old had five goals and 35 assists in 113 career games with Ilves Tampere. Laaksonen also played on Finland’s gold medal-winning junior national team in 2019.
SOCCER
MLS: Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant has joined the ownership group of Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union. Durant, a 10-time NBA All-Star, has a 5% ownership stake, with an option for 5% more in the near future, the Union announced Monday.
“I’ve always been a soccer fan and have wanted to get into it in a meaningful way. My team and I felt an instant connection with the Philadelphia Union ownership and staff and their vision for a partnership,” Durant said in a statement. “While you won’t get to see me at games for now, my team and I will be taking an active role in the community where I can help give back to Chester (Pennsylvania) and Philadelphia.”
The Union and Durant’s Thirty Five Ventures, a firm he runs with sports executive Rich Kleiman, will partner to grow the team’s profile and community outreach through the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation.
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