Medical department chief in athletics corruption inquiry

Dr Gabriel Dollé, the former director of the International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF) medical and anti-doping department, has been placed under criminal investigation, suspected of taking about €200,000 in bribes in an alleged cover-up of positive Russian doping tests.

The French office for financial prosecutions says Dollé joins the former IAAF president Lamine Diack and Diack's legal adviser, Habib Cissé, under formal investigation.

Diack is being investigated on preliminary charges of corruption and aggravated money laundering. Dollé and Cissé face only the corruption charge.

Dollé was released on Wednesday from police custody on €100,000 bail.

Police raid

The latest developments follow a raid by police on the

Monaco

offices of track and field’s governing body on Monday.

Diack was unable to be reached for comment, but an official said he was suspected of pocketing “about €1 million” to cover up an undetermined number of positive doping tests. The money is thought to have come from the Russian athletics federation, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Diack was released on €500,000 bail, ordered to turn in his passport and not leave France, the assistant prosecutor Jean-Yves Lourgouilloux said. Cissé is also barred from leaving.

The former president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) Dick Pound, who has been investigating allegations of systematic doping and cover-ups in Russia since December, will announce his findings at a press conference in Geneva on Monday.

A separate investigation by the IAAF ethics commission, led by the highly respected QC Michael Beloff, is also looking at the activities of other former senior IAAF figures.

Those being scrutinised include Diack’s son, Papa Massata Diack, who resigned as a marketing executive after being accused of involvement in corruption aimed at covering up doping scandals in Russia.

In a statement the IAAF said it was co-operating with the police investigation.

Doping offences

Meanwhile, Russian hammer thrower Maria Bespalova, 29, has been banned for four years for doping offences. The punishment was handed out by the

Russian Athletics Federation

(VFLA) after it received documents from the IAAF, the VFLA said in a statement.

Four other Russian athletes, Vlas Bredikhin, Yaroslav Kholopov, Maria Konovalova and Evgeny Nushtaev have also been punished for doping offences. – Guardian Service