Pat Hickey to deposit €410,000 bond needed to regain passport

Pat Hickey will deposit the €410,000 bond needed to regain his passport from Brazilian authorities, his lawyer in Rio de Janeiro said on Friday.

Arthur Lavigne said the former president of the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) would "accept the conditions" and "deposit the money" as stipulated by a judge this week.

However, he was not sure who exactly would pay the money, required to be lodged to the court in order for the passport to be returned, and for Mr Hickey to return to Ireland to receive medical treatment. He said that Mr Hickey was in good spirits.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the OCI have both said they would not pay the bond of 1.5 million Brazilian reals.

In a decision made on Wednesday evening in Rio de Janeiro, Justice Juliana Leal de Melo, of the Special Court for Supporters and Large Events, ordered that the Dublin man's passport can be returned on the condition that he pay a security bond, and that he comply with, and attend, any necessary appointments relating to the ongoing legal process in Brazil.

A spokesperson for the courts service in Rio said the fact that his passport may be returned “does not liberate him from his obligations to answer to the court process”, nor does it “allow him to leave eternally”.

The bond amount is used to pay for any fines arising from the legal process, and legal fees, and/or any compensation ordered by the court; with the remainder, if any, returned to the defendant following the conclusion of the full legal process. If the process reaches conclusion, and the defendant is absolved, the bond may be returned, subject to “monetary adjustments”.

If the case is shelved, as Mr Hickey’s legal team has requested to the courts, the money would be returned. However, Justice Leal de Melo negated a request to shelve the case on Wednesday. If any of the bail conditions are broken, the money paid to the Brazilian courts is retained, and normally donated to a local charitable institution.

Alleged ticket-touting

The ruling comes three months after his arrest in Rio for alleged ticket-touting, at which point he temporarily stepped aside from his position as president of the OCI. Mr Hickey denies the charges and has protested his innocence.

A solicitor for the Hickey family in Dublin said on Friday they were not in a position to make a statement at this time. “No doubt Mr Hickey will make a brief statement on his return to Ireland,” Anne Marie James said.

On Friday, the IOC said it would not be assisting Mr Hickey with the bond. This follows the decision taken by the OCI not to pay the money either, as it considered it a “personal matter” for Mr Hickey.

The OCI is currently paying Mr Hickey’s legal fees. This is understood to be due to a stipulation in the organisation’s articles of association that oblige it to pay the legal costs of staff members who run into difficulty during the course of their duties.