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John Daley reportingEd Firmage Uni. of Utah Law Professor:"THE OLYMPIC SYSTEM STUNK TO HIGH HEAVEN. THE ONLY GOOD THING ABOUT IT IS THE ATHLETES. THE REST STINKS."
The Olympic bid process will be under the microscope as soon as this fall, when the Salt Lake bid scandal finally goes to court.
October 28th. That's the date set today for the start of the Olympic bid scandal trial.
Tom Welch and Dave Johnson are accused of 15 -felony charges, but others, including top leaders in Utah, and of the International Olympic Committee will face serious scrutiny as well.
Thursday morning, Judge David Sam held a telephone conference call with attorneys from both sides. He set a date for a three to four week trial, to begin roughly five months from now on October 28th.
The federal court case regarding Salt Lake's sullied Olympic bid is set to begin in the fall. And when it does, this Dr. Kim Un Yong son could play a prominent role. Dr. Kim Un Yong is one of the IOC's most powerful, and some say, shady figures. Yesterday, his son John Kim was arrested in Europe, after fleeing the U.S. more than three years ago. He's accused of 16 federal counts, including lying to FBI investigators, and using a fraudulently obtained green card for a "sham" job. A telecommunications executive testified that the job was arranged by Salt Lake's bid leaders, Tom Welch and Dave Johnson.
Kim is set to be extradited, and could testify against the pair, though Dave Johnson' attorney Max Wheeler told KSL Radio today he's not worried.
Max Wheeler, Dave Johnson's Attorney: "IF THE GOVERNMENT DOES BRING HIM HERE AS A WITNESS, I EXPECT THAT HE WOULD CORROBORATE OUR VERSION OF THOSE EVENTS SURROUNDING HIM."
Kim's presence at trial could provide intriguing, perhaps damaging, information about the now-discredited Olympic bid process.
It could also be embarrassing for Utah's senior senator, because when John Kim was indicted, a Kim family spokesman said Orrin Hatch offered help getting Kim his green card. Hatch said his office offered no special treatment.
Sen. Orrin Hatch/(R) Utah (Sept. 1999) "NOT THAT I KNOW OF. AND I DON'T THINK SO. AND YOU KNOW I THINK ANYONE OF US WOULD HAVE HELPED THE OLYMPICS ANY WAY WE POSSIBLY COULD BUT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN WITHIN THE LAW TO DO IT."
An October trial date also presents timing problems for Governor Mike Leavitt, who could be called to testify, and is expected to announce if he'll run again by the fall.
Law professor Ed Firmage believes while a trial might reveal who did what--it would also rehash what's already known--while damaging many reputations.
Ed Firmage Uni. of Utah Law Professor: "AND ANYBODY THAT DOESN'T KNOW BY NOW THAT THE WHOLE SYSTEM WAS ROTTEN AND THAT WE MADE SOME MISTAKES IS A DAMN FOOL."
We should point out of course that there may never be a trial in this case. Before they were originally charged--Tom Welch and Dave Johnson turned down a plea bargin offered by prosecutors. It's not known if another offer will be made--but it's always a possibility--some legal experts believe--that given the delicate politics involved here--it's a probability.
