An ongoing investigation into an Olympic ticket scalping scandal has led Brazilian police to raid the Ireland Olympic Committee’s office Sunday, seizing passports, phones and laptops. The 71-year-old is held in a Rio prison, pending formal charges. None of the officials was arrested, the OCI added.
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The raid comes days after the arrest of senior Olympic official Pat Hickey.
“We are continuing the investigation into the worldwide scheme of ticket scalping”, Rio police said.
Irish media said three officials had their passports seized.
No arrests have been made but the officials were asked and agreed to attend police stations in Rio for questioning on Tuesday, t he OCI said in a statement. Also confiscated were unused Olympic tickets that were meant to be for “athletes’ families and friends”.
Police allege Hickey is implicated in a scam involving Ireland’s official Games ticket reseller, Dublin-based PRO10 Sports Management, and an global sports hospitality company, THG Sports.
They accused PRO10 of funnelling tickets to THG Sports, which sold them illegally at inflated prices.
Irishman Kevin Mallon, a director of THG Sports, which specialises in corporate and sports hospitality and is owned by Ipswich Town FC owner Marcus Evans, has been in custody in Brazil since August 5 over the affair.
“Mr Hickey will have his first hearing by a judge next Tuesday”, Bach said Sunday on the sidelines of an IOC executive meeting in Rio at the end of the Olympic Games.
Hickey denied any involvement with THG before his arrest.
Police say they seized more than 1,000 tickets from THG Sports, which is not an official ticket reseller, and a judge has ordered the arrest of four more THG executives on accusations of fraudulent ticket sales at the Olympics.
Police said they seized hundreds of tickets from Mallon some of which had the Olympic Council of Ireland name on them.
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Mr Hickey is expected to appear for a judge on Tuesday (local time), the International Olympic Committee said on Sunday.
