By Andrew Warshaw
December 31 – Switzerland’s federal justice authorities have handed over the first batch of bank documents to their US counterparts in relation to the corruption scandal that has engulfed FIFA’s north, south and central federations.
The Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) said the package of evidence will be used in the criminal investigation that has so far seen 41 individuals and marketing companies indicted in a $200 million network of bribes and kickbacks stretching back over two decades.
Just over seven months since that first group of senior FIFA officials were dramatically arrested in Zurich on the eve of the FIFA congress, the Swiss FOJ said it had now delivered the first round of evidence to US prosecutors.
“It relates to bank accounts allegedly used for bribes connected with the grant of marketing rights to soccer tournaments in Latin America and the USA,” the Swiss office said in a statement.
“Consisting of bank documents, the evidence will be used in criminal proceedings against high-ranking FIFA officials.”
The FOJ also confirmed it had frozen around $80 million in assets in 13 bank accounts. They said they will remain frozen until legal proceedings have been concluded.
“The U.S. authorities can apply to have these assets handed over if they have a legally valid and enforceable seizure ruling from a U.S. court,” the FOJ said.
FIFA has said it is cooperating to provide “all relevant information” to the ongoing twin American and Swiss investigations.
Significantly, the US authorities have also requested records relating to the infamous ISL marketing scandal which preceded the current crisis and involved bribes paid out to numerous officials including Brazil’s former FIFA president Joao Havelange, his one-time son-in-law and former Brazilian FA boss Ricardo Teixeira and Paraguayan powerbroker Nicolas Leoz. The latter two are both among those indicted by the US authorities.
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