Yahoo – AFP,
4 Dec 2015
 |
US Attorney
General Loretta Lynch speaks about the corruption scandal
engulfing FIFA at the
Justice Department in Washington, DC, on December 3,
2015 (AFP Photo/Nicholas
Kamm)
|
Washington
(AFP) - Sixteen more top football officials were charged in a dramatic widening
of the FIFA corruption scandal on Thursday, as US prosecutors vowed to leave no
stone unturned in their quest to root out graft.
Several
senior FIFA officials from the past or present were named in a 92-count US
Justice Department indictment which came after a series of dawn raids at a
luxury hotel in Zurich hosting FIFA officials.
Among those
indicted on Thursday were the president of the South American Football
Confederation (CONMEBOL), Juan Angel Napout, and Alfredo Hawit, head of the
North, Central American and Caribbean ruling body (CONCACAF).
Other
notable officials indicted include Ricardo Teixeira, the once-powerful former
head of the Brazilian Football Confederation and a former FIFA vice-president.
The
indicted also included Ariel Alvarado, a Panamanian official who currently sits
on FIFA's disciplinary committee.
 |
The main
players in the deepening FIFA corruption scandal (135 x 156 mm)
(AFP
Photo/S.Ramis-K.Tian/P. Defosseux)
|
"The
message from this announcement should be clear to every culpable individual who
remains in the shadows, hoping to evade our investigation: You will not wait us
out. You will not escape our focus," US Attorney General Loretta Lynch
said, describing the allegations as "outrageous" and
"unconscionable."
Lynch
revealed that eight more people indicted since authorities launched an earlier
wave of FIFA raids and arrests in Switzerland in May had now pleaded guilty.
"I can
report eight additional defendants have agreed to plead guilty for their
involvement in the corruption scheme," she said.
Millions
forfeited
Among those
who had pleaded guilty were Jeffrey Webb, a former FIFA vice president and head
of CONCACAF.
Webb, who
was indicted when the corruption scandal erupted earlier this year, has pleaded
guilty to racketeering conspiracy, three counts of wire fraud and three counts
of money laundering conspiracy.
As part of
his plea deal, Webb has agreed to forfeit more than $6.7 million in assets.
Webb and
former CONCACAF chief Jack Warner, who was indicted earlier, were also accused
of siphoning off cash intended for disaster relief, according to the new
indictment.
"Certain
of the defendants and their co-conspirators, including the defendant Jack
Warner and Jeffrey Webb, took advantage of these opportunities and embezzled or
otherwise personally appropriated funds provided by FIFA, including funds
intended for natural disaster relief," the indictment read.
 |
Several
senior FIFA officials from the past or present were named in a
92-count US
Justice Department indictment which came after a series of dawn
raids at a
luxury hotel in Zurich hosting FIFA officials The unprecedented
corruption
scandal engulfing FIFA widened on December 3 with the arrests of
two more top
officials in another dramatic dawn raid at a luxury hotel in Zurich.
(AFP
Photo/Fabrice Coffrini)
|
Napout and
Hawit are both in Switzerland where they are now fighting extradition to the
United States, officials said.
Both men
are suspected of taking millions of dollars in bribes in return for selling
marketing rights for regional tournaments and World Cup qualifying matches,
according to the US indictment.
The
investigation also covered the payment and receipt of bribes in connection with
the sponsorship of the Brazilian soccer federation by a major US sportswear
company, and the selection of the host country for the 2010 World Cup and the
2011 FIFA presidential election. Lynch would not confirm that the US sportswear
company was Nike.
Federal
Bureau of Investigation director James Comey meanwhile said those indicted had
run corrupt schemes spanning decades.
"For
decades, these defendants used their power as the leaders of soccer federations
throughout the world to create a web of corruption and greed that compromises
the integrity of the beautiful game," Comey said.
Lynch
meanwhile dismissed claims by FIFA's suspended President Sepp Blatter that the
US investigation was triggered by sour grapes over the country's failed bid for
the 2022 World Cup, controversially awarded to Qatar in a 2010 vote.
"I
think (Blatter) is well aware of the nature of our charges," Lynch said.
"This
covers years of conduct by dozens and dozens of people from the past into the
future. I called it outrageous and unconscionable. That still
stands."
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