October 27 – Britain’s anti-fraud organisation is looking into possible money laundering on UK soil related to the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding process that is bedevelling FIFA, its director revealed today.
David Green, who heads the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), told a select committee of MPs examining corruption at FIFA that his organisation had obtained some “new information” about various allegations.
Green said there had not been sufficient evidence to open a criminal investigation but added: “We are still examining issues around possible money laundering. Some new information has come to us quite recently. There are a number of matters we are digging into.”
Although the SFO cannot pursue FIFA under bribery laws, Green said that it would act if money laundering was found to have passed through the United Kingdom. He said an alleged £270,000 payment made by Australia’s unsuccessful bid for the 2022 World Cup to disgraced former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner could have passed through London.
“I cannot confirm the assertion that money went through London,” he said. “It certainly started off in Sydney and appears to have ended up in Trinidad. It could be money-laundering, yes. Whether the money came through London is important.”
Swiss authorities are currently investigating the entire bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, which were awarded to Russia and Qatar respectively.
The so-called culture, media and sport select committee also heard from Lord Goldsmith, the former attorney general for England and Wales who sat on FIFA’s now-defunct independent governance committee, the first body to recommend robust reforms.
Goldsmith said the failure of FIFA to publish the notorious Michael Garcia report was “a farce” and “absurd”.
“I was very disappointed with what took place – it was a farce with Mr Garcia producing a report which was never seen and then summarised by the (ethics) adjudicator (Hans-Joachim Eckert] and Mr Garcia saying this was not an accurate summary. It was absurd and the world needs to see if there is smoke or fire.”
Goldsmith also criticised UEFA and its president Michel Platini – currently suspended by FIFA’s ethics committee – for blocking proposals for term limits for senior FIFA officials. “UEFA were not a terribly good force in relation to the reform process.”
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