Utah State Attorney Also Will Investigate

Thu., Jan. 21, 1999

The bribery scandal surrounding the 2002 Winter Olympics has prompted a fifth investigation - this one by the Utah Attorney General.

Jan Graham said Wednesday her inquiry will not begin until the Salt Lake Organizing Committee’s ethics panel and the International Olympic Committee release their reports.

The U.S. Olympic Committee and the Justice Department also are investigating. Justice officials met with at least one potential witness Wednesday and empaneled a grand jury.

Graham said her office will not “duplicate the work of the federal investigation,” and instead will examine potential violations of Utah criminal laws.

In New York, the lead IOC investigator into the Salt Lake City scandal met with lawyers to complete his report, while marketing chiefs said the bribery case has made at least two potential sponsors skittish.

Dick Pound, an International Olympic Committee vice president from Canada, and IOC director general Francois Carrard tried to work out final details of the month-long investigation that is expected to recommend the expulsion of eight committee members.

The report is scheduled to be released in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Sunday. The Wall Street Journal said a draft version implicated as many as 16 IOC members and warned committee officials they might be subpoenaed by the Justice Department in its inquiry.

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Utah State Attorney Also Will Investigate

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