Rio Olympics Head Charged With Corruption

Prosecutors in Brazil have formally charged the former head of the country's Olympics committee with corruption during the campaign to win last year's Games for Rio de Janeiro.

Carlos Nuzman is accused of running a criminal organisation, money laundering and violating currency laws.

The charges follow an investigation into a payment of $2m (£1.52m) to secure votes for the Rio bid.

Mr Nuzman, who was arrested on 5 October, denies any wrongdoing.

Vote-buying allegations
According to the indictment, Mr Nuzman and the former governor of Rio state, Sergio Cabral, "directly solicited" the $2m payment from Brazilian businessman Arthur Soares.

Mr Soares allegedly paid the money to the son of an influential Senegalese member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) just three days before the IOC voted on which country would host the 2016 Summer Games.

Rio beat Chicago, Madrid and Tokyo to become the first South American city to host the Olympics.

Mr Soares, Mr Cabral, Brazilian Olympic Committee ex-chief Leonardo Gryner, Senegalese IOC member Lamine Diack and Mr Diack's son have all been charged.

They all deny the allegations made against them.
Mr Cabral is already in jail. The former Rio governor was sentenced in June to 14 years in prison for corruption and money laundering.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Mr Soares but he remains at large.

The IOC suspended Mr Nuzman and the IOC's Brazilian arm earlier this month.

Mr Nuzman resigned from the Brazilian Olympic Committee last week saying he needed to devote himself to his legal defence.