Authorities in Zurich on Wednesday launched an operation to arrest several high-ranking Fifa officials on corruption charges and extradite them to the United States, the New York Times reported.
The Times, citing anonymous law enforcement officials, said the US federal charges include racketeering, money laundering and wire fraud and span two decades of misconduct in soccer’s world governing body. More than 10 officials were expected to be indicted, the newspaper reported.
The officials are in Switzerland for the Fifa Congress, where incumbent Sepp Blatter faces a challenge from Jordan’s Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein in a presidential election on Friday.
Fifa spokesman Walter de Gregorio and Delia Fischer, another spokeswoman for the governing body, were unable to be contacted for verification of the report.
The paper said more than a dozen plain-clothed Swiss law enforcement officials arrived at Zurich’s Baur au Lac hotel early on Wednesday, took keys from the registration desk and headed up to the rooms.
One Fifa official was led by the authorities from his room to a side-door exit of the hotel, the Times said, adding that officials from the body’s powerful executive committee were being targeted.
“We’re struck by just how long this went on for and how it touched nearly every part of what Fifa did,” the Times quoted an unnamed law enforcement official as saying.
“It just seemed to permeate every element of the federation and was just their way of doing business. It seems like this corruption was institutionalized.”
The Times said much of the enquiry was focused on the CONCACAF region, which governs soccer in the North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
The confederation’s former boss Jack Warner was regularly dogged by accusations of corruption before he resigned in 2011, putting an end to investigations of the Trinidadian.
Prosecutors expected to announce the case at a news conference at the Brooklyn US attorney’s office, which is leading the investigation on Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal said in a separate report.
US Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey and Internal Revenue Service criminal chief Richard Weber were expected to appear in Brooklyn to announce the case, the WSJ said.
The reports offer a fresh blow to the credibility of Fifa, which has suffered repeated accusations of wrongdoing over the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, which were awarded to Qatar and Russiar espectively.
Fifa appointed an independent investigator to look into the allegations and though a summary of his report found some wrongdoing on the part of the Qatari and Russian bid committees, Fifa’s ethics judge concluded it wasn’t enough to question the entire process.
The investigator, former attorney Michael Garcia, subsequently resigned from his role in December after criticising the handling of his report.
© AFP
Fifa officials arrested in Zurich added by on
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Nomba ninshi?
My question is can Zambia arrest FIFA officails if they are found wanting by our CID/police/DEC/ACC or whatever or its just the super powers like USA.?
Can you please give yourself a better name and picture yaba!
corruption must be faught honestly where ever it shows or must at all time be prucked where ever it buds.but look here it must not be used to solt out your percieved enemies.
KAlusha Bwalya will also be picked up for questioning
This is the fault of PF. Us in the UPND will ensure that FIFA employees are empowered economically as stated in our party constitution. Blatter and your friends I urge you to vote for UPND bane.
Czar you have cracked my ribs. You forgot to say us in upnd we shall employ Sepp Blutter to work with NEZ as political advisors to HH when they form govt in 2016. Kikikiki.
Very sad day for football. however, it is about time that such investigations were put in full swing. For a very long time rumours of stinking corruption at FIFA have been on going. The same way that we will turn all the corrupt PF cadres inside out once we form government in 2016. The UPND is allergic to corrution. Hard work for a good pay is our motto.
waiting for FAZ elections!!
Aworld cup would have been held by Malawi long time ago then Zambia in 2010 kkkkkk look now what has been happening,we will meet ku cosafa komweko Zambia
Yalininkongole ilya lilya takwete ama issues nabena Rupiah!
These bastards must be so rich yaba!
Let them b charged here in zambia including our own smal boy he is shivering where ever he is