Rio police claim there have been email exchanges between Pat Hickey and Ipswich Town owner Marcus Evans during the Olympics.
The English businessman is the owner of corporate hospitality company THG, who Hickey earlier this week claimed the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) had cut ties with after London 2012.
THG had been the OCI’s authorised ticket reseller for the Olympic Games four years ago but have subsequently been replaced by PRO 10.
A THG executive, Kevin Mallon, was arrested last week with 781 OCI-allocated tickets in his possession. He is still in custody in Rio as part of an alleged ticket-selling scheme.
On Wednesday morning Rio authorities confirmed in a statement they did “carry out an arrest warrant and search warrant against Patrick Joseph Hickey, from Ireland, a member of the International Olympic Committee”.
It has emerged that when the police arrived at his Baha hotel with their warrant, his wife told the fraud unit officers that her husband had already left the country. After this they found the 71-year-old in another room, believed to be his son’s.
Brazilian police say issued arrest warrant for #ITFC & THG owner Marcus Evans in relation to ticket touting. Has been passed to Interpol
— Paul Kelso (@pkelso) August 17, 2016
Following his arrest he was taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution when he told them he suffered from high blood pressure.
All this emerged in an extraordinary press conference in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday afternoon as the police outlined the details of the arrest of the Irish and European Olympic Council chief as part of the investigation into alleged illegal ticket sales.
Rio police conference on Pat Hickey arrest – media here in numbers pic.twitter.com/qD8SVMYmLo
— Philip Bromwell (@philipbromwell) August 17, 2016
There were over 10 television cameras in the room as four fraud detectives briefed the media on the arrest before 7am by the city’s civil police fraud unit.
The officers proceeded to place the Irish Olympic Council president’s passport, olympic credentials and his British Airways ticket – showing he flew first class to Rio on 28th July – on the table to be photographed.
Pat Hickey's passport, Olympic credentials and air ticket presented to media at Rio press conference pic.twitter.com/hoV4HAwNSa
— Philip Bromwell (@philipbromwell) August 17, 2016
@JamilChade @jduggantodayfm who are the other 3 names on the sheet with hickeys? #Rio2016 #HickeyGate
— JOBrien (@beeojay) August 17, 2016
They then also produced the act of arrest, which listed three other men – Michael Glynn, Ken Murray and Eamonn Collins, who are directors of the Olympic Council of Ireland’s (OCI) official ticket reseller PRO 10’s parent company Kmepro Limited.
RTÉ News reporter Philip Bromwell told Joe Duffy on Liveline that the police have “evidence of communication between Pat Hickey and Marcus Evans on Mr Hickey’s phone”.
More to follow as reports emerge from the press conference.
