(ATR) Odebrecht executives say money was given to previous Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes to secure favorable Olympic contracts, a claim Paes denies.
Benedicto Barbosa da Silva Júnior, the executive at the center of the Odebrecht department which paid bribes to many Brazilian politicians, told the Brazilian Attorney General’s office that the company transferred $5.1 million to accounts owned by Paes, according to reporting from Estadão de Sao Paulo. The requests were made to ensure Odebrecht received favorable treatment when bidding for projects associated with Rio 2016.
"Of this amount, $3.5 million was transferred in Brazil and another $1.6 million through accounts abroad," Edson Fachin, a Brazilian Supreme Court justice, said in a decision initiating the investigation of Paes and many other high profile politicians.
"The collaborator presents documents that, in theory, corroborate this information provided, in their reports, mentioning Leonel Brizola Neto and Cristiane Brasil as possible recipients of the values."
The list of politicians produced by Fachin includes a wide range of politicians including nine cabinet ministers, 28 senators, 42 congress deputies, three governors, and five former Brazilian presidents.
Paes, though a spokesperson, called the allegations against him "absurd" to Around the Rings.
"Eduardo Paes affirms that it is absurd and lying to accuse that he received advantages by works related to Olympic Games," the spokesperson said to ATR. "He has not vehemently accepted bribes to facilitate or benefit the interests of Odebrecht. And he reiterates that he never accepted any consideration, of any nature, for the performance of works or projects conducted in his government."
Rio 2016 declined to comment on the allegations.
This is the second time Paes has been named in part of the ever-growing Odebrecht corruption inquiry. In December, Odebrecht executives said that Paes received as much as $8.95 million in illicit campaign contributions. Paes denied wrongdoing on those allegations as well.
Paes is currently living in New York City with his family after relinquishing his mayoral mandate on January 1. He originally planned to teach at Columbia University for a year before returning to Rio to run for State Governor in 2018.
An IOC spokesperson told ATR"these are allegations which [Paes] strenuously denies."Last month the IOC hosted Paes to discuss Rio's Olympic legacy.
Written by Aaron Bauer
25 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.
Últimas Noticias
Utah’s Olympic venues an integral part of the equation as Salt Lake City seeks a Winter Games encore
Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation chief of sport development Luke Bodensteiner says there is a “real urgency to make this happen in 2030”. He discusses the mission of the non-profit organization, the legacy from the 2002 Winter Games and future ambitions.
IOC president tells Olympic Movement “we will again have safe and secure Olympic Games” in Beijing
Thomas Bach, in an open letter on Friday, also thanked stakeholders for their “unprecedented” efforts to make Tokyo 2020 a success despite the pandemic.
Boxing’s place in the Olympics remains in peril as IOC still unhappy with the state of AIBA’s reform efforts
The IOC says issues concerning governance, finance, and refereeing and judging must be sorted out to its satisfaction. AIBA says it’s confident that will happen and the federation will be reinstated.
IOC president details Olympic community efforts to get Afghans out of danger after Taliban return to power
Thomas Bach says the Afghanistan NOC remains under IOC recognition, noting that the current leadership was democratically elected in 2019. But he says the IOC will be monitoring what happens in the future. The story had been revealed on August 31 in an article by Miguel Hernandez in Around the Rings
North Korea suspended by IOC for failing to participate in Tokyo though its athletes could still take part in Beijing 2022
Playbooks for Beijing 2022 will ”most likely” be released in October, according to IOC President Thomas Bach.
