Dakar, Senegal (AFP) — Papa Massata Diack, the son of former world athletics chief Lamine Diack, denied yesterday any involvement in bribery or corruption and refuted claims he helped finance Senegalese president Macky Sall’s election campaign in 2012.

Papa Diack, a former marketing consultant with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), said he was ready to “give evidence, but in Senegal”.

“I’m in Senegal, where it’s (possible) to send a letter of request. I’m a Senegalese citizen, but not a French citizen,” Papa Diack said in an interview with Senegalese radio station RFM.

“I’m absolutely calm. After the investigation, lots of surprises are going to be revealed.

“People wanted to say we covered up doping cases in exchange for secret payments. I never took part in financing (Senegalese political) rivals, in distributing money to them.

“I never received any money from the hands of Valentin Balakhnishev,” he added, referring to the former Russian Athletics Federation president.

Lamine Diack, 82, was arrested by French investigators last month and on Monday was hit with new corruption charges, having also been charged with corruption, money laundering and conspiracy.

Just last week, he denied accusations in French newspaper Le Monde that he had received a donation from Russia of 1.5 million euros (US$1.6 million; £1.1 million) to help fund Sall’s presidential election campaign in 2012.

Diack was quoted by Le Monde as saying that Balakhnishev, also an ex-IAAF treasurer, had made the payments to help fund Sall’s presidential election campaign.