The Associated Press

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee's ethics panel, which let USOC chief Lloyd Ward keep his job after a conflict-of-interest investigation, has been paid $516,000 since 1999 by General Motors, on whose board Ward serves, according to a report.

Ken Duberstein heads the ethics panel and his company, The Duberstein Group, has been a lobbyist for General Motors since 1989, The New York Times reported on its Web site.

The company's involvement with General Motors was reported in Friday's editions by The Gazette of Colorado Springs.

A public records form filed with the secretary of the U.S. Senate shows General Motors, a major USOC sponsor, paid The Duberstein Group $120,000 for lobbying activities in the first half of 2002.

Duberstein and Ward declined comment Friday to The Associated Press.

Ward was accused of trying to help his brother's company get a contract at the Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic. The USOC ethics committee found Ward should have disclosed his brother's interest in the company but allowed him to keep his job.

The panel said Ward "created the appearance of a conflict of interest" and should have disclosed his actions.

USOC officials have been summoned to a meeting Tuesday in Washington to discuss with members of Congress the recent allegations of ethical violations within the organization. Sen. John McCain of Arizona will preside.