May 13 – Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber has been forced on to the attack following reports that an independent disciplinary investigation has been launched into his conduct relating to a series of private meetings with FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
The watchdog overseeing Swiss federal prosecutors has ordered the probe to check there has been no wrongdoing by Lauber, whose office has been investigating numerous cases of alleged FIFA-related corruption since 2015.
Lauber and his office have publicly defended the contacts with Infantino, arguing they were necessary amid the sprawling probe into FIFA’s activities.
Lauber has acknowledged two meetings with Infantino, saying they were intended to help advance the probe. However, he claims to have no recollection of an apparent third meeting as reported by swiss media and has steadfastly denied accusations of intentionally withholding information.
The supervisory watchdog has chided Lauber for not documenting the meetings with Infantino but he hit back at what he described as unfounded conspiracy theories.
“It’s not only a full frontal assault on my person,” he told a news conference. “In my opinion, it’s also an infringement on the independence of the Office of the Attorney General. I don’t have any motive to conceal the truth.”
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