Several Eurovision countries, including Azerbaijan offering bribes for votes
An investigation has been launched into claims that several countries have bought votes in the Eurovision Song Contest, The Daily Mail reported.
An executive from an unnamed country's delegation, who had been contacted by several rival countries seeking to strike deals for high points, has made the claims in a Swedish newspaper this week.
The executive, who worked on this year's contest in Malmo, Sweden, accused 2011 winners Azerbaijan of offering him 'enough money to live for a year' if they could arrange high jury points.
It is also claimed that members of the Azerbaijani delegation handed out free mobile phone SIM cards to Lithuanian students and paid them to vote.
Speaking in Swedish newspaper Skanska Dagbladet, the source claims to have been contacted by a member of the Macedonian team hoping to strike a vote swap deal at the semi-final stage.
The source claims to have been offered 'enough money to live for a year' over a coffee meeting with an Azerbaijani delegate in return for high jury points.
According to the Daily Mirror, the executive added that there are at least three other countries who have attempted to strike similar deals behind the scenes.
UK entrant Bonnie Tyler, who came 19th out of 26 finalists in the competition back in May, also told a French newspaper that she overheard Russians asking why they didn't get votes that they had paid for the morning after the contest.
Sietse Bakker, Eurovision Song Contest Event Supervisor, told the Mirror that the European Broadcasting Union is now investigating.
He said: “We have a very clear policy on such speculations.
“First of all, we always look into the story. And if we would find actual proof that the rules have been breached, we will impose firm sanctions and do everything we can to avoid it in the future.”
The newspaper added that Eurovision experts fear that even though an investigation into corruption has been promised, no real action will be taken.
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