Paris' Olympic bid in spotlight at French corruption trial

PARIS -- A member of Paris' Olympic bid committee was among 47 people who went on trial Monday in a major political corruption case.

Guy Drut, also an IOC member and former French sports minister, is accused in a party funding scandal dating to the 1990s. Drut, one of four former ministers charged, denies wrongdoing.

The case centers on a secret deal in which companies allegedly funneled millions of dollars in kickbacks to France's major political parties in exchange for contracts to build and renovate schools. Drut is accused of receiving thousands of dollars in kickbacks between 1990 and 1993.

Paris is considered the front-runner in the vote for the 2012 Olympics, vying with London, New York, Madrid and Moscow. The International Olympic Committee is to select the winner in Singapore on July 6, and Drut is not expected to take the stand until May in a trial expected to run through July.

The Paris bid committee had no comment on the case Monday, committee spokesman Jerome Lenfant said.

IOC president Jacques Rogge and the IOC ethics commission have been aware of the case for at least seven months, IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said.

Drut, the 1976 Olympic champion in the 110-meter hurdles, was sports minister from 1995-97 and has been an IOC member since 1996.