There has been a new twist in the scandal that rocked the football world in May. The Swiss Attorney General, Michael Lauber, has come out to indict Joseph Blatter, outgoing FIFA president, of criminal charges.
Blatter was accused by the Swiss Attorney General’s office of signing a contract in 2005 with the Caribbean football Association, then headed by Jack Warner. The contract is said to be a breach of fiduciary duties by the FIFA president.
This is due to the fact that the contract was one in which TV rights were sold to the Caribbean football association below the Market value.
The FIFA president is also charged with disloyally transferring to UEFA president Plattini, who is a FIFA presidential hopeful, the sum of 2 million swiss francs at the expense of FIFA. The funds were alleged to be for work done between the period of January 1999 and June 2002. The payment of the funds was in February 2011.
FIFA president, Joseph Blatter has since the whole saga started in May, avoided travelling to countries that have an extradition treaty with the United States Of America.
The investigation into the payment between Blatter and Warner is an offshoot of the investigation into the award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups by FIFA.
All this started in May when 7 FIFA executives were arrested at the lobby of the Baur au Lac hotel. This came as US prosecutors accused them along with 7 other FIFA officials of money laundering, racketeering and fraud. Of the 14 indicted, 13 have been arrested. 3 have been charged in US courtrooms while 10 are awaiting extradition.