RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) Police in Rio de Janeiro have begun interrogating the first of three of Ireland’s top Olympic executives in a ticket-scalping investigation. Rio police are interrogating three of Ireland’s top Olympic executives as a ticket scalping investigation widens even after the Summer Games ended.
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“There are a lot of messages mentioning William O’Brien along with Patrick Hickey”, Aloysio Falcao, one of the investigators in the case, said after a news conference. The men remain in Brazil and their passports were seized by police on Sunday.
In one released email Mr Hickey, who has temporarily stepped aside as OCI president, spoke of an apparent surplus of tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies, telling THG owner Marcus Evan he could use them all if he wished.
Police also said Mr Hickey told them that the only contact he had with Mr Evans since the arrest of THG’s Kevin Mallon on 5 August was to speak to him about the fact that his name was being dirtied in Brazil.
Mr Hickey’s lawyers said in a statement that, contrary to police reports, the OCI president did not try to escape when officers arrived at his hotel last Wednesday and did not try to resist arrest.
The council declined to comment Tuesday.
Brazilian police have claimed they have uncovered emails showing former OCI President Pat Hickey discussed Rio 2016 ticket sales with ticket company THG.
A Brazilian judge also ordered the seizure of the passports of stand-in OCI president Willie O’Brien, vice-president John Delaney, and an OCI personal assistant, Linda O’Reilly. Investigators said they had ruled out his involvement in the alleged scheme, saying there was no evidence.
They accuse PRO10 of funneling tickets to THG Sports, which sold them illegally at inflated prices.
PRO10 and THG have denied wrongdoing.
PRO10 “served to facilitate tickets for THG, so it could tout those tickets, disguised through hospitality services”, said Mr Ricardo Barbosa, another of the police inspectors.
Hickey is now sharing a cell in Bangu 10 Prison with THG director Kevin Mallon, who was arrested on August 5th in possession of OCI tickets, which should only be distributed through approved ticket reseller Pro10.
Last week, a Rio judge ordered the arrest of four more THG executives, including Mr Evans, who is also the owner of football club Ipswich Town.
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The police also said emails found by them dated back to 2010 – although for a period of time THG was the official OCI reseller.
