Rio de Janeiro, Nov 26 (IANS): Former Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) President Carlos Arthur Nuzman has been sentenced to 30 years and 11 months in prison for alleged corruption, money laundering and tax evasion.

Judge Marcelo Bretas said the 79-year-old played a leading role in a scheme to buy votes for Rio de Janeiro to host the 2016 Olympics.

"The reasons that led Carlos Nuzman to criminal practices are highly reproachable," Bretas said in the ruling. "(He has) shown himself to be a greedy person and that, despite having full knowledge of the criminal nature of his activities... used his public role to carry out crimes."

Under Brazilian law, Nuzman will remain free pending all of his appeals.

Former Rio governor Sergio Cabral, entrepreneur Arthur Soares and Rio 2016 operations chief Leonardo Gryner were also found guilty.

According to investigators, Nuzman, Cabral, Soares and Gryner coordinated the payment of a two million US-dollar bribe to the former president of the International Association of Athletics Federations, Lamine Diack, and his son Papa Diack in exchange for votes for Olympic hosting rights.

Nuzman resigned as COB president -- a position he had held for more than two decades -- in October 2017 after he was placed under house arrest.