Lamine Diack was placed under formal investigation in France on Wednesday on suspicion of corruption and money laundering.
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The IAAF scandal erupted on Wednesday when prosecutors from the Parquet National Financier (PNF) – the office that handles financial prosecutions in France – confirmed that Diack is being investigated.
They also alleged that the Russian anti-doping agency covered up positive tests for top Russian competitors in athletics and other sports.
“The All-Russia Athletic Federation is aware of the investigations the independent commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the ethics commission of the worldwide Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) have been conducting and it declares its openness to cooperation and integration with the world athletics community in all spheres”, the statement runs.
The press conference will exclude “matters now under police investigation, which are expected to be available before the end of the year”, WADA said in a later statement.
The sensational charges were laid ahead of the release this month of a report by a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) commission into allegations of widespread substance abuse in Russian Federation, Kenya and among world champions.
WADA has been investigating serious doping allegations within athletics since January and information collected by its Independent Commission during this time has led to the latest developments in Monaco.
“It is no secret for anybody in the world of athletics that Diack has created a whole system of bribes and extortion through his son, Papa Massata Diack, who until recently headed IAAF’s marketing programs”, the source said.
It’s unclear whether this case is linked to the French investigation, although WADA has said Shobukhova provided “substantial assistance” to its probe.
“As part of the French investigation, police visited the IAAF headquarters offices yesterday to carry out interviews and to access documentation”.
“The IAAF is fully co-operating with all investigations as it has been from the beginning of the process”.
Diack is an honorary member of the worldwide Olympic Committee.
The head of Russia’s Athletics Federation (VFLA), Valentin Balakhnichev, has also resigned from his role as IAAF treasurer. The IAAF’s anti-doping director Gabriel Dolle has been taken into custody.
“We have already said that there were problems with our federation, but the old management are no longer working there”, he said. Reuters has not been able to reach Diack for comment.
An IOC spokesman said: “The global Olympic Committee is standing for clean sports and good governance. It is therefore following these ongoing inquiries very closely and awaits the full facts coming to light”.
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It is understood IAAF president Lord Coe, who took over from Diack in August, was at the offices at the time and volunteered to speak to the investigators. “Of course, not for free”, the source said. “But they did not come here to question Seb Coe”.
