Summary: A sealed indictment charging 16 new defendants was unsealed hours after the arrests were made in the Swiss hotel Baur au Lac.
A new indictment by United States officials has been unveiled relating to the FIFA investigation since May. The levels of corruption and bribery inside the FIFA organization has rocked fans worldwide as dozens of countries and some of the most influential people in the organization have been involved.
See FIFA President under Criminal Investigation for more information.
The indictment includes charges against sixteen new defendants. Some of the charges include wire fraud, racketeering, and money laundering. Most of the defendants are high ranking officials from Central and South America like a former president of Honduras and a judge on the Constitutional Court of Guatemala.
These charges also deal with bribes related to broadcasting rights of the soccer games and obstructing justice through hiding criminal actions of some once they learned they were under investigation. Funds have been traced through at least 40 countries contributing to what Richard Weber, chief of the criminal investigation unit of the IRS, states as being “…nothing short of one of the most complex, worldwide financial investigations ever conducted. We have identified hundreds of millions of dollars, proceeds that went through bank accounts throughout the world.”
See The 14 FIFA Individuals Who Have Been Indicted for more information.
Nearly 14 hours before the indictment was unsealed, Swiss officials began their predawn arrests with the aid of U.S. officials. The FIFA executive committee was set to meet a few hours later that day to begin the second part of their two-day meeting over governance reforms. The case has now almost doubled in size.
FIFA has promised reform, especially after five World Cup sponsors signed a letter this week asking for an independent oversight of the reforms. These sponsors included Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and Adidas.
A total of 41 individuals and entities have now been charged in relation to the case.
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