E.T., I'm still waiting for your reply to my post #1150: Show us one Russian mobster who doesn't hold an Israeli passport --HEY, I'M ONLY ASKING FOR ONE!!!!
Friday, August 02, 2002 Av 24, 5762
Last update - 12:23 02/08/2002
Mobster at center of alleged Olympic bribing scandal has Israeli passport
By Yossi Melman, Ha'aretz Correspondent and agencies
The man at the center of an alleged Olympic figure skating bribe scandal, Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov, is an Israeli citizen - according to reports Thursday in the Russian media. Tokhtakhounov was arrested in Italy for allegedly fixing two events at the Salt Lake City Games. Police believe he may have contacted as many as six Olympic figure skating judges, Italian police said.
An Interior Ministry spokesman refused to deny or confirm the report, but it is believed that the Uzbek-born mobster also has Russian, French and German passports, and he has been linked in the past to several prominent Israelis, including businessman Michael Chernoy.
An Italian organized-crime unit revealed details of the case Thursday, a day after arresting Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov in Venice on U.S. conspiracy charges.
The Salt Lake judging scandal, the biggest in Olympics history, resulted in a duplicate set of gold medals being awarded to the Canadian team that finished second to the Russians.
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www3.haaretz.co.il |
