British
bank Barclays has reportedly launched an internal probe into whether company
accounts were used for corrupt payments by FIFA officials. The financial
institution is one of three banks named in a US indictment.
Deutsche Welle, 31 May 2015
An unnamed
banking official told the AFP news agency Sunday that the bank had launched an
internal investigation into how its accounts had been used by FIFA officials.
The probe
comes after Barclays was cited in a US fraud probe into corruption at FIFA, the
world's governing football body.
The
accusations come as seven FIFA executives were arrested this week in Zurich.
British law
enforcement officials announced Friday there was incriminating evidence against
FIFA.
"The
Serious Fraud Office is actively investigating the material at hand and has
made it clear it is willing to assist international investigations," a
spokesperson said in London.
US fraud
investigators allege FIFA funds had been distributed amongst accounts with major
British banks Barclays, HSBC and Standard Chartered.
'More
indictments to come'
US
authorities have charged 14 people in connection with the wide-ranging FIFA
corruption scandal, said to involve more than $150 million (13.7 million
euros).
Richard
Weber, the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) leader of criminal investigations,
told "The New York Times" Friday that he foresaw indictments beyond the 14 FIFA officials accused of racketeering and accepting $150 million in
bribes to rig marketing contracts and the selection of the host country for the
2010 World Cup.
Weber
didn't identify who the IRS might be targeting, or say whether they included
newly re-elected FIFA President Joseph "Sepp" Blatter.
"I'm
fairly confident that we will have another round of indictments," Weber
told the paper.
Blatter
'wrong person'
German
Justice Minister Heiko Maas said FIFA would have to relocate the 2018 and 2022
World Cups from Russia and Qatar, respectively, if it turned out that its
selection had been bought.
Maas told
the German daily "Bild" that "the awarding of a World Cup
shouldn't depend on who pays the highest bribes" and called Blatter the
wrong person to investigate alleged graft, saying FIFA needed "a fresh
start."
Russia
President Vladimir Putin has accused US authorities of initiating the
corruption probe in order to strip his country of hosting the 2018 World Cup.
jlw/tj (AFP, SID, dpa)
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