MOSCOW, July 5. /TASS/. The Kremlin is aware of media reports about an alleged bribery scheme used to select Rio de Janeiro as the host of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, but believes that these allegations must be backed by evidence, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

The Brazilian daily O Globo reported late on Thursday that former governor of Rio de Janeiro Sergio Cabral, who is currently serving a long-term sentence on counts of corruption and fraud, had confessed that in 2009 he had paid a bribe to then-President of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Lamine Diack to secure the votes in favor of Brazil’s bid to host the 2016 Olympics.

Cabral also testified, according to the daily, that nine members of the IOC (International Olympic Committee), including Olympic legends Alexander Popov of Russia and Sergey Bubka of Ukraine, had been bribed as well to vote for Rio de Janeiro.

"We have certainly paid our attention to this information and this is a very serious accusation," Peskov told journalists adding that the Kremlin was also aware that "the IOC was about to launch its probe into the matter."

Peskov said "it is early to comment on the issue," adding that "in any case such statements must be based on evidence as they cannot be unsubstantiated and ungrounded."

The Russian presidential spokesman advised against "interfering into the affairs of the International Olympic Committee and to wait for the results of the investigation."

The voting for the host city of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games was held in three rounds on October 2, 2009 at the 121st IOC Session in Copenhagen, Denmark. In the final third round of voting Rio de Janeiro’s bid won with 66 votes against Spain’s Madrid with 32 votes.

Popov, a four-time Olympic champion in swimming and an honorary member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), told TASS on Friday he intended to file a defamation lawsuit in the wake of reports over his alleged involvement in the suspected bribery scheme.

Russia’s 47-year-old legendary swimmer served as a member of the International Olympic Committee between 2000 and 2016. He is currently a non-voting honorary member of the IOC.