The former head of the International Biathlon Union was convicted of corruption

The former head of the International Biathlon Union, Anders Besseberg, was sentenced by a court in Norway to three years and one month in prison for “gross corruption.” The verdict was announced on April 12, reports Norwegian public broadcaster.

According to the court decision, the Norwegian received several expensive watches as a gift, including from Russian officials and sports functionaries, used the services of sex workers at someone else’s expense, went on expensive hunting trips to Russia, the Czech Republic and Germany and used a leased BMW car for free at the expense of a Swiss company that owned the rights to biathlon broadcasts.

Besseberg did not warn the federation he headed about the gifts, and the court believes that they could have influenced his work. The article under which the 78-year-old sports official was tried does not require proof of specific actions in exchange for bribes received. It was enough for the court to prove that the benefits that the accused received were related to his position and he was aware of it.

The trial of Besseberg began on January 10. The investigation was conducted by law enforcement agencies of Norway, Austria, Liechtenstein and the Czech Republic. The Norwegian denies the charges. About some of the bribes he received, he said that he perceived them as personal gifts. He called part of it establishing business contacts. He is appealing the verdict.

Besseberg led the International Biathlon Union for 25 years, since its creation in 1993. During this time, biathlon has become one of the most popular winter sports. A number of sports officials spoke out in support of the accused.

The former head of the Russian Biathlon Union, Viktor Maguirov, told Norwegian media that the official did not show any special favor towards the Russian Federation or the athletes. The judge said before announcing the verdict that he believed that Besseberg acted in the interests of Russia.