By Mark Baber
January 8 – Law enforcement officials in Paraguay have raided the headquarters of CONMEBOL on Thursday “searching for documentation related to the granting of commercial and broadcast rights for sporting events,” according to a statement issued by state prosecutors.
According to the prosecution office the raids, led by two prosecutors who specialise in money laundering and financial crimes, followed a request for cooperation from US justice officials probing corruption inside world football.
A lawyer for CONMEBOL, Alfredo Montanaro, slammed the raid as “irresponsible” saying: “It is very strange. We have been cooperating with the judicial authorities of the United States, Uruguay and Paraguay.”
Another CONMEBOL lawyer, Cristóbal Cáceres said the raid was linked to the case pending in the United States against former confederation chief Nicolás Leoz, who has been indicted for corruption and is facing extradition.
According to Cáceres “We are providing the documents that are being asked for.” However, perhaps unsurprisingly, “Some of the documents pertaining to Dr Leoz are not here.”
The US has issued indictments against 41 defendants, predominantly senior officials from South and Central America, claiming schemes involving hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes were concocted in the USA or the money went through US banks. Officials from US-based Nike, apparently the source of much of the money, have so far escaped indictment.
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