 |
FIFA
President Sepp Blatter announcing that South Africa would be hosting the 2010
FIFA World Cup during an official ceremony in Zurich, Switzerland, on May 15,
2004. (Photo: EPA)
|
The United States asked Switzerland to extradite seven FIFA
officials arrested in Zurich in May on suspicion of taking bribes worth over
100 million dollars, Swiss authorities said Thursday.
The country's Federal
Office of Justice (FOJ) said the formal extradition requests were submitted on
Wednesday evening by the U.S. Embassy in Bern acting on a request by the U.S.
Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, which is handling the
probe.
FIFA, world soccer's
governing body, has been plagued by corruption allegations for years but
successive allegations have failed to yield prosecutions.
USAToday report continues:
The FOJ will hold a
hearing on the request, likely over the next several weeks, before making a
decision, the FOJ said. However, it cautioned that Switzerland's top court, the
Federal Supreme Court, could ultimately challenge any ruling.
The seven people suspected
of taking the bribes — who have not been named — are said to be representatives
of sports media and sports promotion firms. They are believed, the FOJ said, to
have received media, marketing and sponsorship rights for soccer tournaments in
the U.S. and in Latin America.
Their alleged crimes are
thought to have been carried out using U.S. banks, which is what has allowed
U.S. authorities take a leading role in the probe.
The seven are among 14
people, nine FIFA officials and five corporate executives, U.S. law officials
have already charged with wire fraud, racketeering and money laundering.
Meanwhile, longtime FIFA
President Sepp Blatter, 79, is stepping down from his role as the investigation
has widened.
U.S. officials have said
Blatter is also a target of the investigation, although he has not been accused
of any crime and maintains he is innocent of any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile AP reports FIFA President Sepp
Blatter has said in a magazine interview that he is not corrupt and that he has
a "clear conscience" despite corruption investigations into world
soccer's governing body.
"Whoever accuses me
of being corrupt has to prove it to me first. But nobody can do that because
I'm not corrupt," Blatter told Thursday's edition of German weekly Bunte,
extracts of which were released Wednesday.
Four days after being
re-elected for a fifth term, Blatter said on June 2 that he would step down
amid a crisis provoked by American and Swiss federal investigations of
corruption linked to FIFA.
American law enforcement
officials have confirmed that Blatter is a target of their investigation into
widespread bribery and racketeering linked to broadcast rights and hosting
votes for international tournaments.
The 79-year-old told
Bunte that he happily accepts "fair and constructive criticism, also to
consider what can be done differently. But when someone says, 'Blatter is
corrupt because FIFA is corrupt', I can only shake my head. Anyone who makes
such claims without proof should be jailed."
Blatter said that his
faith helped him through the weeks since criminal investigations into FIFA
officials began.
"I'm a believer. I
also pray," said Blatter, who added that he had a golden cross that was
blessed by Pope Francis.
The date for a new
presidential election will be set at a FIFA executive committee emergency
meeting on July 20 in Zurich.
No comments:
Post a Comment