A formal investigation has been opened on former Namibian sprinter Frankie Fredericks over allegations of vote buying to win the 2016 Summer Olympics for Rio de Janeiro, Reuters has learned.
Appearing before a French magistrate on Thursday, Fredericks is suspected of receiving bribes and laundering money through Paris.
He is already being investigated by the global Athletics Integrity Unit over payments he received from Papa Massata Diack, the son of former world athletics chief Lamine Diack, on the day Rio won the vote to host the 2016 Olympics.
A former Olympian, Fredericks won four silver medals at the 1992 and 1996 Games and is a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Fredericks also sat on the IAAF Council, world athletics’ governing body, until he was suspended in July pending the outcome of the probe.
The athlete has previously rejected allegations of corruption, saying that a payment of $300,000 was paid to his company in recompense for legitimate work (Reuters).
There was no immediate reaction to the French probe from Fredericks.
