Brazil Olympic committee chief resigns amid bribe scandal

ByReuters

Updated 11/10/2017 at 21:58 GMT

The head of Brazil's Olympics committee announced his resignation on Wednesday following his arrest last week for arranging alleged bribes to win Rio de Janeiro's selection as host of the 2016 Summer Games.

Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) president Carlos Arthur Nuzman speaks during the ceremony of Brazil Olympics 2016 Awards at Cidade das Artes on March 29, 2017 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Image credit: Getty Images

Carlos Arthur Nuzman, 75, had said last weekend that he was temporarily stepping down. But in a letter to the committee Wednesday he said he needed to devote himself to his legal defense and would not be returning.

In the letter, seen by Reuters, he denied any wrongdoing.

Brazilian federal prosecutors have said Nuzman paid roughly $2.5 million in bribes to gain support for Rio de Janeiro's candidacy to host the Games. The city was named as host in 2009. (Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier; Editing by Tom Brown)

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