Yahoo – AFP,
Marie-Noelle Blessig, 17 June 2015
 |
Swiss
attorney general Michael Lauber (pictured) said the "suspicious"
transactions had been reported by banks and that a "huge and complex"
inquiry into
football's world body could take months if not years (AFP
Photo/Fabrice Coffrini)
|
Bern
(Switzerland) (AFP) - Swiss prosecutors are investigating 53 cases of possible
money laundering as they look into FIFA's handling of bids for the 2018 and
2022 World Cups, officials said Wednesday.
Attorney
general Michael Lauber said the "suspicious" cases had been reported
by banks and that a "huge and complex" inquiry into football's world
body could take months if not years.
 |
Swiss
authorities are investigating the
2010 vote that awarded the 2018 and
2022
World Cups to Russia and Qatar
(AFP Photo/Michael Buholzer)
|
"We
note positively that banks in Switzerland did fulfil their duties to file
suspicious activity reports," he told a press conference.
"Partly
in addition to the 104 banking relations already known to the authorities,
banks announced 53 suspicious banking relations via the
Anti-Money-Laundering-Framework of Switzerland," he added.
Swiss
authorities have set up a special task force to look into the World Cup bids --
which went to Russia for 2018 and Qatar in 2022.
It is one
of two major fraud investigations that have rocked FIFA.
US
authorities last month charged 14 people in a separate bribery investigation.
Probe
will take time
Julius
Baer, which the US indictments listed among 26 banks through which the illegal
transfers allegedly passed, said Wednesday tha it had "launched an
internal investigation".
In a
statement sent to AFP, the bank said it was "cooperating with the
authorities".
Lauber
meanwhile said he "does not exclude" questioning FIFA boss Joseph
Blatter or general secretary Jerome Valcke, although neither is currently under
suspicion.
 |
Qatari Emir
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani (left) receives the World Cup
trophy from
Fifa chief Joseph Blatter after the controversial vote to host the
2022
tournament (AFP Photo/Philippe Desmazes)
|
He said
nine terrabytes of data had been seized, including at FIFA's Zurich
headquarters and the probe would take time.
"The
world of football needs to be patient... By its nature, this investigation will
take more than the legendary '90 minutes'," that a football match takes,
said Lauber, who has just been re-elected for a four-year mandate.
FIFA told
AFP Wednesday that Quinn Emanuel, the world's largest business litigation and
arbitration law firm, was representing the football world body.
Jenny
Durkan, a top US lawyer who has previously served as the state attorney for the
western district of Washington, is part of the defence team, a FIFA
spokesperson said.
Lauber said
he did not feel under pressure with the next World Cup in Russia just three
years away.
"I
don't care about the timetable of FIFA, I care about my timetable," he
said in response to a question.
Senior FIFA
official Domenico Scala has said there could be a revote for the 2018 and 2022
World Cups if there was evidence of wrongdoing in the bidding process.
FIFA, never
far from controversy, is facing its biggest crisis because of the two
corruption inquiries. Four days after being elected to a fifth term on May 30,
Blatter announced that he would resign.
US
authorities have charged 14 people from North and South America accused of
involvement in more than $150 million of bribes for football deals.
 |
Former FIFA
executive Chuck Blazer
worked secretly for US prosecutors from
2011, court
documents show (AFP Photo/
Sebastian Derungs)
|
The
European parliament has called on Blatter to quit immediately and allow for an
interim leader to launch reforms in the organisation.
But FIFA
has repeated that the 79-year-old Swiss will continue in office until a
successor is designated, probably by the end of the year.
The FIFA
Executive Committee will meet in Zurich on July 20 to fix a date for the
congress to elect Blatter's successor.
The vote
will not be before December.
The
scandal-plagued body has lost several prestigious partnerships following the
scandal, losing the support of key names such as Nobel Peace Centre and
Interpol.
The
Interpol deal was a 10-year partnership with FIFA worth 20 million euros ($22
million) for its "Integrity in Sport programme."
High-profile
sponsors including Coca-Cola, Adidas, Visa, McDonald's and Hyundai -- have
welcomed Blatter's announcement that he would resign and called for FIFA to
embark on serious reforms.
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