Investigator Aloysio Falcao said they found a text from July 2015 sent from Hickey to Bach requesting more tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as for football, basketball and 100-metre finals.
Advertisement
This has already started to happen.
Brazilian police investigating ticketing touting at last month’s Olympic Games here widened their search today when they named the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) sports director Martin Burke as a new suspect and claimed that they needed to speak to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.
Brazilian officials have indicated that they may seek prosecution of another seven executives from PRO10 and THG with alleged ties to the scheme said to have been operated.
“The exchange of messages, spreadsheets and documents analysed strengthened the investigation and showed that the scam was vast”, said one of the police sources.
Currently, the charges are with a judge at the Special Court for Supporters and Large Events in Rio de Janeiro. Kac says this could happen within a month.
Mr Mallon is facing the same charges and both men had their passports confiscated until the investigation is complete.
Former Algerian footballer Mohamadou Lamine Fofana and 11 others are accused of crimes similar to those now levelled against Hickey and Mallon. He is forbidden to leave Brazil pending investigations. Now it is reaching a conclusion.
They had anticipated Mr Bach would be in Rio for Wednesday’s Paralympic Games opening ceremony, but the German was not in attendance.
It’s unclear if Bach will go to Brazil for any of the Paralympics, which last until September 18.
They added that Mr Hickey received 296 tickets after his written request to the International Olympic Committee president. The company was nominated to manage the OCI’s tickets for the Rio Games but was rejected by organisers.
Other messages indicate Hickey and Bach had a warm relationship, with the latter sending the Irish official “congratulations and a bug hug” at the end of the Baku European Games, an event that Hickey was instrumental in organising.
Advertisement
Rio de Janerio police have issued a “please explain” to the head of the Olympics after a revelation the so-called “most hated man in Irish sport” was in contact with him.
