INTERNATIONAL athletics was plunged into a major corruption crisis yesterday after French police confirmed former International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) president Lamine Diack is being investigated over an alleged payment of more than €200,000 (£141,196) to cover up doping offences by Russian athletes.

A prosecutor from the Parquet National Financier (PNF) — the office that handles financial prosecutions in France — confirmed that Diack is being investigated.

Diack and his adviser Habib Cisse have been formally interviewed, sources with knowledge of the investigation have confirmed. IAAF anti-doping director Gabriel Dolle has been taken into custody.

The prosecutor said the investigations included a probe into allegations that Diack was paid more than €200,000 to cover up positive drugs tests.

Officers visited the headquarters of international athletics in Monaco on Tuesday and took documents, a statement from the IAAF confirmed.

It is understood IAAF president Sebastian Coe, who took over from Diack in August, was at the offices at the time and volunteered to speak to the investigators.

The scandal broke in late 2014 when German broadcaster ARD alleged a number of positive dope tests involving Russian athletes were covered up by IAAF officials.

Several IAAF officials have been implicated in covering up Russian doping including Diack’s son, IAAF marketing consultant Pape Massata Diack. The others are Valentin Balakhnichev, the IAAF treasurer and Russian Athletics Federation president, and Cisse, who worked for the IAAF as legal adviser. All three agreed to stand down from their positions pending an investigation.