Brazil police arrest Olympic committee chief in bribery investigation

Brazilian police arrested the head of the national Olympics committee, Carlos Arthur Nuzman, who is accused of conspiring to bribe members of the International Olympic Committee in order to make them pick Rio de Janeiro as host of the 2016 games.

Investigators claimed that Nuzman helped to arrange a $2 million bribe.

A former director of the committee, Leonardo Gryner, was also arrested in a new phase of the so-called “Unfair Play” investigation, according to police.

In September, police raided Nuzman’s home and he was summoned for questioning about how he secured the right to host South America’s first ever Olymics games, amid suspicions that he was a key figure in a bribery scandal. Headquarters of the committee were also searched.

On behalf of his client, Nuzman’s lawyer, Sergio Mazzillo, claimed that he was innocent.