The 77-year-old Norwegian led the international body from 1992 to 2018.
Norwegian police on Monday (April 17) charged the former president of the International Biathlon Federation (IBU), Norwegian Anders Besseberg, with “aggravated corruption”, suspected of having covered up Russian doping cases in exchange for favors. Announced in a statement, his indictment rests on “sufficient evidence to demonstrate that he accepted bribes continuously over a period of ten years”according to Marianne Djupesland, head of Okokrim, a branch of the police specializing in economic and environmental affairs.
President for 26 years, and resigning in 2018, Besseberg would have, between 2009 and 2018, accepted “watches, hunting parties and trophies, prostitutes and a leased car”in return for having directly concealed several cases of doping and exerting intense lobbying in favor of Russia.
A legal outcome that echoes the conclusions of a damning report published in January 2021, by an independent commission set up by the IBU. Facts that the main interested party denies, as reported by his lawyer, Christian Hjort. “Besseberg claims that he never allowed himself to be corrupted and did not try to influence the IBU’s anti-doping work in favor of anyone”while the IBU announced “take note” of the indictment and affirmed “to work closely with Okokrim on this complex file”.
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