Exclusive: FIFA Ethics Committee set to open new investigation into bribery scandal

By Andrew Warshaw

July 16 – FIFA’S Ethics Committee is set to open fresh investigations into the bribery scandal that has rocked world football, sources have revealed.

Next Saturday (July 23), Asia’s most powerful administrator, Mohamed Bin Hammam, seems likely to be found guilty of offering cash bungs to a raft of Caribbean countries.

Bin Hammam will put his side of the story to Ethics Committee members in Zurich 24 hours earlier and looks certain to appeal if sanctioned for longer than his current temporary suspension.

Bin Hammam is believed to have no intention of resigning as Jack Warner did when he, too, faced confronting the Ethics Committee charged with setting up the meeting where the bribes apparently took place and facilitating the payments.

The 62-year-old Qatari could still change his mind in the coming days and, as Warner did, gain the benefit of having the case dropped under Swiss law.

Whatever the ultimate penalty against Bin Hammam, insideworldfootball has now learned that other officials caught up in the cash-for-votes debacle that took place in Trinidad May 10-11 are also likely to be disciplined by the Ethics Committee.

Seven Caribbean associations have told investigators they were offered or accepted cash gifts of $40,000 after Bin Hammam made a presentation about his campaign to be FIFA President.

Four of them – from the Cayman Islands, Bahamas, Bermuda and Turks and Caicos – are believed to have immediately turned down the offer.

But 13 others are claimed to have said that no such meeting ever took place and it is representatives of some of these nations that face new sanctions.

“I would expect a number of new cases to be opened and a number of provisional bans issued against certain people who failed to co-operate with the investigation and gave false statements,” said one well-informed source who has been close to the case throughout.

“The Ethics Committee has overwhelming evidence that the meeting took place.”

Yesterday, a leaked copy of the investigative report into Bin Hammam’s involvement claimed the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President had refused to speak to investigators or provide his bank records during the probe.

The report, drawn up by the private investigative agency run by former FBI chief Louis Freeh, concluded there was “no direct evidence” linking Bin Hammam to the offer or payment of cash but there was “compelling circumstantial evidence” that he was the source of the money, according to Press Association.

It is understood bin Hammam will attempt to prove that he had nothing to with the $1 million taken into Trinidad, where the bribes allegedly took place involving 25 members of the Caribbean Football Union.

It is believed Bin Hammam will also protest that the hearing has been prejudiced by a succession of media leaks.

But the afore-mentioned source told insideworldfootball the case had move on.

“The Freeh report into Bin Hammam was three weeks ago,” he said.

“It may have said there was no direct evidence linking Bin Hammam with the money but who’s to say there hasn’t been more evidence since?

“All Bin Hammam has been complaining about is the process.

“You haven’t heard a word from him discrediting the evidence.

“That’s pretty telling.”

Another source said: “There will be multiple investigations coming out of this.

“FIFA is taking this matter very seriously.

For people to lie to the investigators and say no money was ever passed…there is iffefutable evidence that some of those statements are lies.”

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