Draft report on Rio tickets inquiry to be circulated

A draft of the report from the €300,000 inquiry into the Rio Olympics ticketing controversy is to be circulated to certain parties next Friday.

Draft report on Rio tickets inquiry to be circulated

That is according to Sports Minister Shane Ross, who said the parties affected by Mr Justice Carroll Moran’s report will be afforded an opportunity to respond to the judge “and it is expected that three weeks will be required for that purpose”.

In a written Dáil reply to Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy on the issue, Mr Ross said: “On March 21, the inquiry’s solicitor contacted my officials to say that the judge’s report would be circulated to certain parties on March 31.”

Mr Ross said Mr Justice Moran “may require time to consider any responses from the parties”.

Mr Ross said: “Accordingly, towards the end of April, it is expected that the judge will be in a position to indicate when his final report will be presented to Minister Patrick O’Donovan and to me.

“Subject to consideration of any legal issues that may arise, it is envisaged that the report would be published shortly thereafter.”

The Government has set aside €300,000 to cover all costs relating to the inquiry.

The controversy saw Pat Hickey, the former president of the Olympic Council of Ireland, spend 12 nights at the notorious Bangu prison in Rio de Janeiro before being released and spending “an extremely traumatic few months” in Brazil before his return home to Dublin in December.

On his return, Mr Hickey reiterated his innocence in relation to alleged ticket-touting at the Olympics and said he “will do everything possible to clear my name”.

The Government’s non-statutory State inquiry into the ticketing controversy, set up on September 19, set out to establish the “policies, procedure, processes, and practices” of ticket distribution adopted by the Olympic Council of Ireland, not just in Rio de Janeiro but going back to London 2012, and also including the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014.

The report was expected by November; it was then expected an interim report would be made in December. Justice Moran has since been given until the end of this month to finalise his report.

more courts articles

Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother
Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van
Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman

More in this section

Irish homelessness Government criticised for missing social and affordable housing targets
National Risk Assessment for Ireland Tánaiste urges Israel ‘to show humanity’ and allow more aid into Gaza
Lego set based on RNLI lifeboat could soon become a reality Lego set based on RNLI lifeboat could soon become a reality
War_map
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited