By Andrew Warshaw
September 17 – Eugenio Figueredo (pictured), one of the seven high-profile figures arrested in Zurich at the end of May accused of receiving bribes worth millions of dollars, could soon be on his way to face trial in the United States after Swiss authorities ruled he can be extradited.
Once one of the most powerful men in world football, the 83-year-old, outgoing FIFA vice-president and CONMEBOL president at the time he was – detained in that infamous dawn swoop 48 hours before the FIFA congress, faces a 20-year sentence if found guilty of money laundering and racketeering.
“Figueredo is accused of receiving bribes worth millions of dollars from a Uruguayan sports marketing company in connection with the sale of marketing rights to the Copa America tournaments in 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2023,” the Swiss ministry said in a statement.
“Figueredo is also alleged to have acquired US citizenship fraudulently by submitting forged medical reports in 2005 and 2006,” it added.
Figueredo’s term on the FIFA executive committee was due to expire anyway on the day of the FIFA congress itself but he has since been suspended from all football duty. He became president of CONMEBOL in 2013 after his predecessor, Nicolas Leoz of Paraguay, resigned to avoid FIFA sanctions for taking kickbacks in the notorious ISL World Cup marketing scandal.
Like Figueredo, Leoz is also among the 14 football and marketing officials indicted by the US Department of Justice for allegedly being involved in fraudulent activities worth “well over $150 million” stretching back 24 years and linked to various international and continental tournaments.
Figueredo, who has been held in a Swiss jail since being arrested, has 30 days to appeal to the Swiss Federal Criminal Court, and five days in which to confirm he intends to do this.
If he is flown to the US, it would leave five more officials in Switzerland waiting to hear their fate. So far, of the seven arrested in Zurich, only former CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb agreed to be extradited to New York. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him and has been allowed to return to his home in Georgia on bail.
A statement from the Swiss Justice Ministry in Bern said that the initial arrest warrant for Figueredo had been submitted on May 20 and the formal request for extradition on July 1 by the prosecution service for the East District of New York. The Swiss allowed extradition because the alleged criminal offences are also punishable under Swiss law.
“Figueredo massively influenced the [commercial] competition by accepting bribes for the award of sports marketing contracts and thus distorted the media rights market relating to the Copa America. This discriminated against other sports marketing companies,” the Swiss statement said. “In Switzerland, this behaviour would constitute an offence as an unfair act in accordance with the federal law against unfair competition.
“As for the alleged use of fake medical reports as part of a naturalisation process, this would by punishable under the Swiss Penal Code as forgery.”
The news came just three days after US attorney general Loretta Lynch announced at a news conference in Zurich that more criminal charges are expected to be brought and more arrests made. She also said she was “very hopeful” all those awaiting extradition would ultimately be brought to the United States.
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