More than 80 may be called to testify at Oly trial

More than 80 witnesses may be called to testify in the Olympic bribery trial, including Gov. Mike Leavitt and the defendants themselves, Tom Welch and Dave Johnson.

On the opening day of the trial Tuesday, both the prosecution and the defense read their witness lists to prospective jurors in the government's fraud, conspiracy and racketeering case against the leaders of Salt Lake City's successful bid for the 2002 Winter Games.

The announcement of the names — 44 for the prosecution and 42 for the defense — ends months of speculation about who would take the stand to answer questions about the $1 million in cash and gifts given to International Olympic Committee members during the bid.

The government's list includes the trio of local businessmen who oversaw the bid and the organizing committees, Frank Joklik, Spence Eccles and Verl Topham, as well as other local officials and employees from those committees.

Also named as a potential witness against Welch and Johnson was influential industrialist Jon Huntsman, who raised concerns about the financial risks in hosting the Olympics in 1993, some five years before bribery allegations surfaced.

The news came as a surprise to Huntsman, said his spokesman, Don Olsen. Prosecutors did contact Huntsman about a month ago to set up an interview but canceled it last week, saying "they no longer wanted to talk to him," Olsen said.

"He didn't know that he was on anybody's list," Olsen said. "I don't see what the connection is really. He was never involved in the thing. He didn't have anything to do with it. He wasn't part of the committee. He wasn't part of the bid."

Leavitt's spokeswoman, Natalie Gochnour, said the governor would not comment on his name appearing on the government's witness list. Gochnour said the governor had nothing to add to the case, but "if he is asked, he will do what anyone else would do."

The government also listed all of the members of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee's ethics panel that found Welch and Johnson responsible for the wrongdoings associated with the bid.

However, U.S. District Judge David Sam on Tuesday issued an order that excludes the ethics panel's 300-page report from being used as evidence. Attorneys for Welch and Johnson had said the report is "inadmissible hearsay and unduly prejudicial."

Welch and Johnson had cooperated with the ethics panel investigation, providing details of payments made to IOC members. There's little doubt they chose not to speak with government investigators about those transactions.

Prosecutors said statements by Welch showed he tried to conceal "the underlying purpose and the extent of his payments to IOC members even after the SLOC became aware of the potential scandal."

Johnson's attorney, Max Wheeler, said the statements made by Welch and Johnson weren't the issue.

"Tom and Dave told the truth to the ethics committee," Wheeler said. "We're concerned about the ethics committee's interpretation."

Deseret News graphicWitness listRequires Adobe Acrobat.