Brazil Olympic Committee’s ex-chief charged with graft

Brasilia, Oct 20 (IANS) The former president of Brazil's Olympic Committee (COB) Carlos Arthur Nuzman has been charged with corruption.

Nuzman was accused of paying bribes to African delegates to ensure that Rio would be chosen as the host city of the 2016 Summer Olympics, Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.

Sergio Cabral Filho, who served as governor of Rio de Janeiro state when Rio was chosen as the host city, was also charged. Cabral is already in jail.

On Thursday, Nuzman was granted a writ of habeas corpus and is currently under house arrest. He was previously put under preventive arrest in a regular jail, to prevent escape and tampering with evidence.

Nuzman has been charged with corruption, criminal associations, money laundering and capital flight. He reportedly has hefty amounts in both cash and gold in foreign banks.

After his arrest, Nuzman resigned from his position as COB President, where he was serving his sixth consecutive term.

A former Olympic volleyball player, Nuzman had been commanding the Committee since 1995, being at the helm of the organisation of both the 2016 Olympics and the 2007 Pan-American Games.