Japan's Abe vows cooperation in French Olympic payments probe
French prosecutors said they suspect that $2 million paid to a son of disgraced former world athletics supremo Lamine Diack was aimed at winning support for the Tokyo 2020 bid
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday vowed cooperation with French investigators probing payments allegedly made to help Tokyo secure the 2020 Olympics.
“I have instructed the education and sports minister to fully cooperate in the investigation,” Abe told lawmakers in parliament.
“Education and sports minister Hiroshi Hase told the Japanese Olympic Committee and the former bid committee to cooperate in the investigation.”
I haven’t got any money. Let them investigate...I have nothing to hid
French prosecutors on Thursday said they were investigating $2 million in payments, suspecting they were aimed at winning support for Tokyo’s successful bid to host the 2020 Games.
On Friday, Japan’s Olympic chief insisted that the payments were “legitimate” and were for consulting work.
The payments to a bank account in Singapore were first revealed by Britain’s Guardian newspaper.
Sources said that French investigators suspected the money was aimed at helping Tokyo secure the 2020 Games.
