The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is to hold an extraordinary session in March to expel members embroiled in the Salt Lake City bribery scandal it was announced yesterday.

IOC director general Francois Carrard said the session would be held on March 17th and 18th.

He added that apart from expelling members found guilty of corruption, the session would also consider reforms to the IOC.

Thirteen members suspected of corruption have been sent letters demanding explanations.

"More than half of them have already replied, defending themselves," Carrard said.

He added that one of the reforms to be studied is changing the IOC charter on how Olympic Games bidding cities are selected.

At present the 115 IOC members can vote, but there are plans to reduce it to the executive committee.

The corruption allegations - resulting in the biggest scandal in modern Olympic history - came after revelations late last year that IOC members received cash, expensive gifts, paid tuitions and medical care in exchange for helping Salt Lake win the 2002 Winter Games.

Carrard refused to give information on the identity of the suspected members, or even the continent they came from, and added: "We are determined to get to the bottom of the matter and to act swiftly to clean the house."

Carrard ruled out the resignation of IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch, who retires in 2002, and instead praised Samaranch's work and confirmed Salt Lake City would definitely play host to the 2002 Winter Games.

A United States federal grand jury will begin hearing evidence in Salt Lake City on the bribery allegations.

Justice Department officials confirmed their plans to speak with organising committee officials of the 2002 Games about tax fraud and bribery charges.

As a result of the scandal, two top executives on the organising committee have resigned.

The Justice Department probe could provide criminal liability for the bidders and organisers, but US IOC member Anita DeFrantz told organisers that no punishment would come from them and they back the committee.

"Within the hour I spoke to president Samaranch and he reiterated that we are 100 per cent behind Salt Lake City's efforts," she said. "Work is moving ahead as planned."

And there is growing objection to having taxpayers be liable for debts the city might incur if the Games go on and fundraisers cannot make deals for a remaining $250 million of a $1.4 billion budget.

"The IOC doesn't get to call the shots anymore. We do," said city council member Deeda Seed. "It's our city. It's our financial disaster if sponsors back out."

In addition to the Justice Department and IOC probes are a US Olympic Committee inquiry and an investigation by a five-member independent ethics panel formed by organisers.

The ethics panel has started studying business conflicts of interests involving members of the organising committee whose private businesses stand to gain significantly through Olympic deals, said John Fowler, a liaison between the ethics panel and Utah governor Mike Leavitt.

Meanwhile, IOC member Anton Geesink, implicated in the Salt Lake City scandal, is to be investigated by the Dutch Olympic committee (NOCNSF), a Dutch newspaper Volkskrant reported yesterday. The NOCNSF is demanding to look into the accounts of a foundation (SVAG) in the name of Holland's former Dutch Olympic judo gold medallist, the paper said.

NOCNSF said the investigation was necessary because it was impossible to know the revenue or expenditure for Geesink's foundation during the last six years.

The NOCNSF also wants SVAG to be dissolved by January 1st, 2000, the paper added.

On Thursday, Geesink confirmed he received a letter from the IOC special commission investigating the Salt Lake City scandal to explain about two trips he made to the American city.

Geesink denies any wrongdoing. "As far as I can remember there is nothing that could lend itself to any controversy," he said.