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Rio 2016: OCI to fully cooperate with ticket inquiry

A spokesman said the minister will also be liaising with his Cabinet colleagues although no formal Cabinet meeting has been arranged.

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Brazilian police said that when officers went to Hickey’s hotel room on Wednesday morning, they found his wife there with his Olympic credentials.

He said a decision would be taken later n Friday over the nature of the inquiry after he has discussed the issue with the Irish attorney general.

Hickey left the institute in the back seat of a police auto, hiding from photographers, and was taken to a procession centre at Police City in Jacaré before being transferred to a remand prison.

Hickey is the second Irishman to have been arrested in the ticket touting probe with Dublin man Kevin Mallon already behind bars.

“The Irish NOC is already looking into this and we wait to see the outcome of that”, the International Olympic Committee spokesman said.

The OCI has said it does not sell any tickets directly, however they have said “ATRs are entitled to mark up ticket prices in accordance with the terms of their contracts with the Rio 2016 Organising Committee”.

“We are absolutely determined we will set up an inquiry to find out what happened”.

Brazilian authorities have also issued warrants for four more executives at THG, including Marcus Evans, who owns its parent company as well as English soccer club Ipswich Town.

In a statement released to the media, THG Sports said they would welcome such an inquiry, which they say will prove that they have operated lawfully at all times.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Pat Hickey was sent to Brazil’s Bangu maximum security prison on Friday while police investigate his involvement in a plot to illegally resell Olympic tickets, civil police said.

William O’Brien, who has temporarily taken over from Mr Hickey as OCI president, visited his former boss in hospital.

Police said they had discovered evidence linking Hickey to an worldwide scheme to illegally pass tickets to touts who were reselling them at well above their original price.

“A Commission of Investigation should be established speedily; investigate all relevant facts and report its conclusions in the shortest possible time”. We believe that it should be a full Commission of Investigation under the 2004 Act of that name.

He said the allegations centered on 1,000 tickets belonging to the Irish national Olympic committee, of which Hickey is the president.

This is a legal process that is not equivalent to being charged in British law but is a preliminary step in that direction.

After returning to Ireland on Thursday Mr Ross said that the inquiry must be led by someone entirely independent to provide credibility.

He has temporarily stepped down from his position as the Olympic Council of Ireland’s president, although he denies the allegations.

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Coincidentally, Match’s loss-making operations at the 2010 World Cup received a boost when THG staff were arrested for ticket selling in South Africa, using laws that Federation Internationale de Football Association supported being introduced for the tournament.

24 2015 shows President of the European Olympic Committees Patrick