VANCOUVER, Canada—The International Olympic Committee has suspended Kun-Hee Lee of South Korea from sitting on any IOC commission for five years and publicly reprimanded the billionaire businessman.
Mark Adams, the IOC’s director of communications, said Lee “tarnished the reputation of the Olympic movement” when announcing the suspension at a press conference in Vancouver on Sunday.
The former chairman of Samsung Electronics, Lee was embroiled in a scandal over a Samsung slush fund used to bribe influential political and judicial figures in South Korea. He gave up his IOC rights after being indicted for tax evasion in 2008. Last year, however, he was pardoned by the South Korean government.
Lee had been suspended for 18 months before Sunday’s decision. But the reprimand and suspension came with the news that he would be reinstated as a full member of the IOC, which is seen as a boost to South Korea’s long-term efforts to host the games. The country is currently bidding against Germany and France for the 2018 Winter Games.
During the press conference at the Vancouver Olympics main media center at Canada Place in downtown Vancouver, a reporter asked how the IOC could combat concerns about corruption while permitting Lee to maintain his membership.
Adams said the reprimand and ban from sitting on any IOC commission were among the toughest measures taken against an IOC member.
In a press conference on Monday, IOC President Jacques Rogge defended the decision to allow Lee to keep his IOC membership saying that the Korean government had pardoned him for his crimes and that alleviated the consequences for his criminal offense.
He said that Lee had been punished similarly to other IOC members who were embroiled in similar controversies and that they should not be punished after they finished their sanctions.
“The rules of the IOC are very clear. Whenever someone transgresses the rules of ethics, and or tarnishes the reputation of the IOC, sanctions must be taken.”
Mark Adams, the IOC’s director of communications, said Lee “tarnished the reputation of the Olympic movement” when announcing the suspension at a press conference in Vancouver on Sunday.
The former chairman of Samsung Electronics, Lee was embroiled in a scandal over a Samsung slush fund used to bribe influential political and judicial figures in South Korea. He gave up his IOC rights after being indicted for tax evasion in 2008. Last year, however, he was pardoned by the South Korean government.
Lee had been suspended for 18 months before Sunday’s decision. But the reprimand and suspension came with the news that he would be reinstated as a full member of the IOC, which is seen as a boost to South Korea’s long-term efforts to host the games. The country is currently bidding against Germany and France for the 2018 Winter Games.
During the press conference at the Vancouver Olympics main media center at Canada Place in downtown Vancouver, a reporter asked how the IOC could combat concerns about corruption while permitting Lee to maintain his membership.
Adams said the reprimand and ban from sitting on any IOC commission were among the toughest measures taken against an IOC member.
In a press conference on Monday, IOC President Jacques Rogge defended the decision to allow Lee to keep his IOC membership saying that the Korean government had pardoned him for his crimes and that alleviated the consequences for his criminal offense.
He said that Lee had been punished similarly to other IOC members who were embroiled in similar controversies and that they should not be punished after they finished their sanctions.
“The rules of the IOC are very clear. Whenever someone transgresses the rules of ethics, and or tarnishes the reputation of the IOC, sanctions must be taken.”
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