Hickey to fight 'each and every' charge

LONDON (Reuters) - Former head of the European Olympic Committee Patrick Hickey will fight "each and every one" of charges that he took part in a ring to sell tickets illegally for the Rio Games, the Irishman said on Monday.

Hickey to fight 'each and every' charge

(Reuters)





Hickey, who was also the head of the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI), was released from Rio's Bangu 10 maximum security prison last month, but must remain in Brazil until the case is heard.

"For clarity, I am not under house arrest as, like with so many things with this case, has been misreported by the media," Hickey said in a statement on Monday.

"I intend to face all the charges and to fight each and every one of them.

"I am completely innocent of all such charges and I will also vigorously defend my good name and character that I have spent my lifetime building through voluntary service for numerous sporting bodies."

Hickey was arrested on Aug. 10 at a luxury beachfront hotel during the Games. His arrest was in connection with an investigation into an illegal ticket-scalping ring.

Police accuse Hickey of operating the ring with Dublin-based PRO10 Sports Management to funnel tickets intended for use by the Irish committee, and not authorized for resale, to international sports hospitality company THG Sports.

All involved deny wrongdoing.

A Rio de Janeiro court on Friday accepted prosecutors' charges against Hickey, Kevin Mallon, a director of THG, and nine others.

Martin Burke, the Irish council's sports director, four other THG officials and three from Dublin-based PRO10 Sports Management, Ireland's official Olympic Games ticket reseller, were also indicted in the court document.

Except for Hickey and Mallon, all are outside the country and are now considered fugitives.

Authorities told Reuters last week that they believe the ring had operated for around eight years and was preparing for other Olympic events such as the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games.

The ring appears to have operated similar scams at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2012 London Games, Rio police investigators said.





(Editing by Gareth Jones)


Share
2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world
Hickey to fight 'each and every' charge | SBS News