8 September 2015
Garry Kasparov and Ignatius Leong found guilty of breaching FIDE Code of Ethics
The decision was made by the FIDE Ethics Commission.
According to the TASS news agency, the thirteenth World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov and the former General Secretary of the World Chess Federation (FIDE) Ignatius Leong were found guilty of breaching the FIDE Code of Ethics as the FIDE press service informed the journalists.
The decision was made during the FIDE Congress in Abu Dhabi. The FIDE Ethics Commission may deprive Kasparov and Leong of the right to visit official FIDE events and inflict a penalty upon them.
The Ethics Commission has found Kasparov and Leong guilty of breaching para 2.1 of the FIDE Code of Ethics. The paragraph reads as follows: “The Code of Ethics shall be breached by a person or organization who directly or indirectly offers, or attempts to offer or accepts any consideration or bribe with a view of influencing the result in a game of chess or election into FIDE office.”
Before the last year’s FIDE presidential elections Garry Kasparov, who applied for this position, and the then FIDE General Secretary Leong had made a deal. According to it Kasparov paid Leong USD 500,000 to ensure that Singapore voted for him in the upcoming FIDE Head elections.
According to the deal Leong undertook to ensure that Kasparov gets 10 plus 1 vote of the Federation in the Asian region. The deal also provided that Leong would head the new FIDE office that Kasparov promised to establish, if he won the elections. Moreover, non-profit organization Kasparov Chess Foundation and Leong’s private company Asian Chess Academy were to establish a new organization – Kasparov Chess Foundation Asia. At that, the company was to transfer one million US dollars to Leong’s company in four tranches within a four-year period, while the last two tranches would have been transferred only if Kasparov had won the elections.
In the end Kasparov lost the elections and Kirsan Ilyumzhinov was re-elected Head of FIDE.
“The International Chess Federation embracing 186 countries is outraged with the situation,” Georgios Makropoulos, FIDE Vice-President, pointed out. “We think that the thirteenth World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov, who is rightfully considered by many to be the greatest chess player in the world, must repent and somehow clear his name.
I will put it another way, we are very upset by the incident! It is sad that the man who publicly commits himself to democracy and justice is in fact engaged in dirty business. At that, the investigation was set in motion by a publication in the American newspaper — The New York Times – a herald of the overseas democratic free world.”
Commenting on the FIDE Ethics Commission‘s conclusions Andrey Filatov, FIDE Vice-President, Head of the Russian Chess Federation, pointed out that this was a serious decision upheld by the overwhelming majority of votes. Currently FIDE embraces 186 countries and, in the opinion of Andrey Filatov, Kasparov must at least offer his apologies for his illegal activities. But, if Garry Kimovich Kasparov does not accept this decision, he must challenge it and prove his innocence in court. “If a man is sure that he is honest and right, he goes to court to defend his honor,” Head of the RCF stated.
