Swiss return frozen CHF36 million to South American football federation
Former CONMEBOL presidents Juan Angel Napout (left) and Nicolas Leoz in December 2014. Napout was arrested in 2015 in a pre-dawn raid at a Swiss luxury hotel as part of the US Department of Justice's widening bribery case into FIFA. In May 2014, Leoz was indicted along with 14 other football officials by the US Department of State on charges of bribery, racketeering and money laundering. Swiss criminal proceedings against Leoz were abandoned after his death in August 2019.
Keystone
Swiss authorities have returned about CHF36.6 million ($40 million) in funds frozen in Swiss bank accounts amid football corruption investigations into the South American football confederation CONMEBOL.
This content was published on
1 minute
Reuters/ts
Español
es
Suiza devuelve 36 millones de francos a la CONMEBOL
The Swiss Office of the Attorney General (OAG) had opened several criminal proceedings in connection with South American football officials, including former confederation president Nicolas Leoz and former secretary general Eduardo Deluca. Both were alleged to have abused their positions to unlawfully enrich themselves and perhaps others, the OAG said on Wednesday.
“The funds forfeited between December 2019 and September 2020 amounted to around CHF36.6 million and were unlawfully acquired to the prejudice of CONMEBOL,” the OAG said in a statementExternal link. In September 2020 alone the restitution of over CHF20.5 million in unlawfully acquired funds was ordered.
“As the party suffering harm within the respective criminal proceedings is doubtlessly known – the CONMEBOL – the forfeited funds will be returned directly to it.”
Swiss criminal proceedings against Leoz were abandoned after his death in August 2019, while Deluca was convicted by summary penalty order of complicity in multiple instances of aggravated criminal mismanagement.
Last month the OAG abandoned criminal proceedings against Deluca as well because Argentina was conducting an investigation into the same matter, the OAG said.
Popular Stories
More
Life & Aging
Switzerland no longer wants to foot the bill for ‘suicide tourism’
Swiss parliament calls for deeper EU security cooperation
This content was published on
The House of Representatives has called on the Swiss government to take a more proactive approach to European security policy.
Switzerland has no US-style fentanyl problem, says health minister
This content was published on
There is very little chance of a US-sized fentanyl epidemic in Switzerland, says health minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider.
This content was published on
Two fish species recently discovered in Switzerland have been called fluvicola and ommata, following an appeal to the public for names.
Convicted ex-shipowner achieves partial success in Swiss court
This content was published on
The Federal Supreme Court orders lower court to reassess part of its verdict against former Swiss shipowner Hans-Jürg Grunder.
This content was published on
A Swiss moratorium on the genetic engineering of plants, which expires at the end of 2025, could be extended for five years.
SWISS airline achieves second-best profit in history
This content was published on
Revenues soared for Swiss International Air Lines in 2024, contributing to the second-largest profit in the company's history.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Parliament denies under-fire Swiss Attorney General immunity
This content was published on
The Swiss parliament has decided to waive Michael Lauber’s immunity, which paves the way for possible criminal proceedings against him.
Corruption at FIFA: 25 criminal cases and a prosecutor in hot water
This content was published on
Switzerland's attorney general Michael Lauber is facing impeachment proceedings over controversial secret meetings with the FIFA president.
High-profile FIFA case falls victim to the coronavirus
This content was published on
The trial of four former officials over payments linked to the 2006 World Cup has been suspended again, meaning a verdict will not be reached.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.