The Irish Government will not initiate a new inquiry into the deal between the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) and British ticketing firm THG as it hopes not to delay its severing.
Then OCI president Pat Hickey and THG last year agreed a multi-year deal that covers all Olympic Games until 2026. Rio 2016 organisers soon barred THG from acting as Ireland’s authorised ticket reseller, while PyeongChang 2018 have since also rejected the company’s involvement following its role in the ticket touting scandal.
With the report into the scandal revealing that the THG deal was signed by Hickey, but not approved by the OCI’s executive board, the Irish Times newspaper reported that officials from the Department of Sport and the Oireachtas Committee on Sport requested that Minister for Sport Shane Ross investigate the agreement.
However, it is understood the department officials told committee members the OCI was attempting to break the contract with THG. It advised members to give the organisation the space and time to do that and said opening an inquiry would delay or complicate the process.
The committee also recently received information from the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) advising it the ticket arrangement between the OCI and THG may have amounted to deception and breached criminal law.
At the start of September it was revealed that Hickey will likely give evidence at his upcoming trial in Rio de Janeiro via Skype. Hickey’s lawyers said he will not need to return to Brazil to face the charges of touting, money laundering and tax evasion as he can use Skype or submit his evidence by way of sworn deposition, subject to approval from the courts in Rio de Janeiro.
Hickey and THG executive Kevin Mallon are among nine people facing trial in Brazil
Share this