By Mark Baber
June 17 – Switzerland’s top federal prosecutor Michael Lauber (pictured) has revealed that more than 104 banking relationships are being looked into as part of its investigation into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids. Each of these relationships involves several accounts, with 53 banking relationships (some overlapping) having been separately been flagged up by the Swiss Money Laundering Reporting Office.
Lauber confirmed that FIFA was the injured party in the investigation, but said that an investigation can turn, so perhaps that could change.
Lauber refused to confirm that either FIFA president Sepp Blatter or general secretary Jerome Valcke would be interviewed as part of the investigation or that either man was a suspect, saying: “There will be formal interviews of all relevant people. By definition, this does not exclude interviewing the President of FIFA and / or its Secretary General.”
The criminal investigation by the Attorney General’s Office (OAG) “against persons unknown on the grounds of suspicion of criminal mismanagement and of money laundering in connection with the allocation of the 2018 and 2022 Football World Cups” which were won by Russia and Qatar, is “very complex” said Lauber, and could go on for months or even years whilst stressing his investigation was independent of that being carried out in the US.
Lauber explained that as part of his office’s investigation, initiated by FIFA in November last year after receipt of the Garcia report, more than 9 terabytes of data had been seized.
He denied that Swiss prosecutors had only taken action following similar moves by the FBI or that he was being pushed by the US campaign against Russia, saying the US investigation was separate.
As documented by Insideworldfootball last week, the US investigation has been characterised by large-scale selective leaking of confidential documents to selected media outlets. Lauber emphasised in his statement that: “In Switzerland, criminal investigations have to respect the principle of secrecy. This legal requirement aims to uphold the presumption of innocence and, as a general rule, to do the least possible harm to all the parties involved.”
According to Lauber: “In the case of an overriding public interest, the OAG can decide to disclose information to the broad public. The decision to disclose information has to be taken by the OAG respecting the main goals of the ongoing criminal proceedings and in accordance with the basic principles of criminal procedure,” however, “as a principle I never announce the initiating of criminal proceedings or in general, specific measures in an ongoing investigation. However, I do inform the public when there is something that has to be said. I will keep it this way, also in this current investigation.”
Whilst selective leaks have added to concerns over the impartiality and motives behind the US investigation, Lauber stressed in his statement that: “Any kind of information on the ongoing investigation provided to the public can boost the danger of suppression of evidence. In this regard the OAG will not put at risk investigations neither in Switzerland nor abroad by any wrong acting or wrong communicating.”
To make the point perfectly clear, Lauber added, “Let me emphasize: The Swiss investigations are executed independently from the prosecutions of our US colleagues. Therefore, documents and data of our Swiss investigation will not be shared automatically with the US counterpart.”
Lauber, who has just been confirmed in office by the Swiss parliament by a large majority, characterised the difference between his investigation and that of Michael Garcia saying: “I have coercive powers and I am independent.”
Whilst Lauber was able to confirm that the FIFA investigation was a priority for his office and a dedicated Task Force led by the head of the OAG’s white collar division had been assigned to the case, he warned that six months into the investigation we are just at the beginning and that “Football will need to be patient.”
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