The Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) has appointed a data security company to “secure, copy and seal” all electronic communications ahead of the inquiry into the Rio tickets controversy.
In a statement on Wednesday, the OCI said it had appointed Espion, a firm based in Sandyford, Co Dublin that specialises in cybersecurity and digital forensic analysis, to seal the OCI server and all OCI electronic data.
All of the retrieved data will be reviewed by an accountancy firm due to be appointed by the OCI before the end of this week, the council said.
“The findings of this review will be given to [Mr Justice Carroll Moran] to be examined as part of his inquiry,” it added.
The statement came after the Government announced the terms of reference for the non-statutory inquiry into the debacle, which has overshadowed Ireland’s participation in the Olympic games.
The Government expects its investigation into the Olympic ticket touting allegations will receive the full co-operation of all individuals and organisations concerned.
Minister for Sport Shane Ross and Minister of State Patrick O'Donovan on Wednesday evening announced the terms of reference for the non-statutory inquiry into the controversy, which overshadowed Ireland's participation in the Olympic Games in Rio this month.
Pat Hickey, the long-serving OCI president, was arrested in his hotel room in Rio last Wednesday as part of the police investigation into the alleged touting. He is still being detained in Rio where he is accused of intending to supply tickets for ticket touting, diverting tickets from legitimate use and false marketing.
Mr Hickey denies any wrongdoing but has stood down temporarily as OCI president and also from his other Olympic roles. Brazilian police also took the passports of three OCI officials and have said they wish to speak to other OCI officials about the matter, including vice-president John Delaney, who is chief executive of the Football Association of Ireland.
Mr Justice Carroll Moran will chair the investigation which will examine the receipt, distribution and sale of tickets allocated to the OCI for the Rio Games, the 2012 London Games and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Governance
He will also be asked to examine corporate governance at the OCI and the State funding of the body. He will also examine the policies and processes relevant to the receipt, distribution and sale of tickets allocated by the International Olympic Committee to National Olympic Committees and accreditations given.
The inquiry will have 12 weeks to report back to the Ministers and can make recommendations on OCI’s policies, procedures regarding the sale and distribution of tickets.
Opposition politicians have criticised the non-statutory nature of the inquiry, saying it will be unable to get to the bottom of the matter with limited powers, but Mr Ross said there was scope to establish a formal commission of investigation in future if necessary.
He said he did not foresee any difficulties in securing the co-operation of those involved.
“We are absolutely satisfied that this is appropriate approach, it leaves open the possibility that there will be a statutory inquiry if the judge finds that that is necessary.”
Asked if that include Mr Delaney, Mr O’Donovan said he did not want to single out individuals.
“We would fully expect that from now on, anyone who has any knowledge or any interest in this investigation would fully cooperate,” he said. “We are not really of a mind to be naming individuals but we would ask and fully expect that anybody who has any knowledge in relation to this issue would fully co-operate.”
Controversy
The controversy kicked off on August 5th when Kevin Mallon, the Dublin finance director of hospitality firm THG Sports was arrested for ticket touting after allegedly being found in possession of more than 800 tickets said to be earmarked for the OCI.
THG was previously the OCI’s authorised ticket reseller but it was not permitted to do so for the Rio Games after being rejected by Olympic organisers.
Police say they have uncovered correspondence between Mr Hickey and Marcus Evans, the owner of THG, which show them discussing ticketing and hospitality at the Rio Games.
THG has said Mr Mallon, who remains in custody, was acting as a “collection point” for people who had bought tickets from the OCI’s official vendor, Dublin company Pro10.
The Brazilian authorities claim Pro10 effectively acted as “a bridge” to get tickets from the OCI to THG.
Mr Ross said he did not foresee any difficulties in securing the co-operation of the OCI, Pro10 or THG, who have denied any impropriety in the matter.