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Lamine Diack 'taken hostage' in France

Senegal

Papa Massata Diack, one of the sons of former IAAF president Lamine Diack has accused the French justice system for “taking his father hostage” in a bid to psychologically break him.

In an exclusive interview with the AFP news agency, he described the ban imposed on his father of leaving France as an unworthy witch hunt.

Diack and his father are both under criminal investigation in France, charged with corruption and aggravated money laundering.

The French judicial investigation was extended in December 2015 following the awarding of the 2016 Olympics to Rio and the 2020 Games to Tokyo.

Papa Massata Diack was last year banned for life by the independent IAAF ethics committee over corruption and cover-up allegations linked to Russian doping.

The younger Diack is also wanted by the French justice system, in the framework of the case which resulted in the indictment of his father.

Currently based in Dakar, the Senegalese authorities announced that he will not be extradited.

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