The former president of the Olympic Council of Ireland is under investigation in Brazil over whether he played a part in ticket touting for the Olympic Games.
Pat Hickey and his fellow Irishman Kevin Mallon could face “eight to ten years” in prison if convicted of mis-selling tickets to this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio.
The public prosecutor in the case made the claim as both parties wait for the judge to decide whether or not their cases should be accepted or rejected.
If a trial gets the go-ahead it could be 18 months before it gets underway, according to RTÉ.
Marcus Kac, the prosecutor in question, told RTÉ that the offences would usually attract up to 20 years in prison but, first-time offenders would see this reduced to between eight and ten years.
Hickey and Mallon, the Finance Director with THG Sports in Dublin, face charges of criminal organisation, ticket touting, ambush marketing, larceny, and money laundering.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
