Swiss prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into Jerome Valcke, the banned former FIFA secretary general, and Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the chief executive of Qatar's beIN Media, over World Cup broadcasting deals.
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) said on Thursday it suspected Valcke accepted "undue advantages" in connection with the award of media rights for the 2026 and 2030 competitions from Al-Khelaifi.
Valcke was Sepp Blatter's right-hand man when the latter ran FIFA, the Swiss-based world soccer body. Al-Khelaifi is also president of French club Paris Saint Germain.
Barry Bercke, Valcke's U.S. lawyer, declined to comment. BeIN Media denied any wrongdoing and said it was cooperating with officials.
"Following a request by the office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG), the beIN SPORTS offices in Boulogne-Billancourt (France) were searched this morning," read the beIN statement.
"The employees on site cooperated with the authorities until the end of the search. beIN MEDIA GROUP refutes all accusations made by OAG. The company will fully cooperate with the authorities and is confident as to the future developments of this investigation," the statement concluded.
The OAG also said it was investigating an unnamed businessman in the sports-rights sector and said it had suspicions about bribery, fraud, criminal mismanagement and forgery among the three.
Prosecutors interviewed Valcke on Thursday, while authorities in France, Greece, Italy and Spain searched properties in various locations, the OAG said.
French prosecutors said they had searched beIN's offices in Paris on Thursday. In Greece, a judicial source said: "Today, prosecutors participated in searches at residences. The operation is led by Swiss authorities."
"It is suspected that Jerome Valcke accepted undue advantages from a businessman in the sports-rights sector in connection with the award of media rights for certain countries at the FIFA World Cups in 2018, 2022, 2026 and 2030 and from Nasser Al-Khelaifi in connection with the award of media rights for certain countries at the FIFA World Cups in 2026 and 2030," the OAG said.
The OAG had already said last year that Valcke was suspected of criminal mismanagement and other offences. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Valcke is serving a 10-year ban from football after he was found guilty by FIFA’s former ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert of misconduct over the sale of World Cup tickets, abuse of travel expenses, attempting to sell TV rights below their market value and destruction of evidence.
After being sacked from his post in January 2016, he was initially banned for 12 years, which was reduced to 10 by FIFA’s own appeal committee last June. He has denied wrongdoing and is now appealing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Al-Khelaifi heads the Qatari ownership of Paris St Germain which in August paid the world record transfer fee of 222 million euros for Brazilian forward Neymar.
FIFA awarded Qatar the hosting of the 2022 World Cup after a vote in 2010.
Zurich-based FIFA has been trying to overhaul its operations in the wake of the worst crisis in its history, sparked in 2015 by the indictment in the United States of several dozen soccer officials on corruption-related charges.
It said in a statement that it fully supported the investigation by the OAG and other involved authorities.
"FIFA has constituted itself as a damaged party in this investigation, in line with the applicable provisions of Swiss procedural law," it added.
Reuters
Fri Oct 13 2017
Jerome Valcke attends a news conference during his visit to Samara, one of the 2018 World Cup host cities, Russia, June 10, 2015. REUTERS
Ruhainies mohon maaf kepada Bella Astillah, luah hasrat untuk bertemu
"Dengan rasa rendah hati, saya ingin mohon maaf kepada Bella Astillah atas segalanya yang telah berlaku."
Universiti perlu tapis aktiviti namun tidak sehingga ganggu keterbukaan, autonomi - Pakar
Abu Hafiz berpandangan ia perlu dilaksana bagi mengelakkan kontroversi khususnya membabitkan isu sensitif serta polisi negara.
'Man Kubur' tolak rasa malu, teruskan legasi ayah hasilkan kepok kubur
Dikman mengakui minat terhadap pembuatan kepok timbul sejak di bangku sekolah rendah lagi apabila sering membantu bapanya di bengkel.
UTM lancar Hab Malaysia Erasmus+
Ia bermatlamat meningkatkan kerjasama antara universiti dan diplomat yang mampu memberi panduan kepada pihak dalam sektor pendidikan tinggi.
Ancaman bom: Pusat Kargo KLIA gempar ancaman bom, rupanya laptop
Pusat Kargo Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) gempar apabila mesin pengimbas menerima bungkusan tertera ayat ancaman bom, pada Khamis
WFP: Utara Gaza diancam kebuluran kritikal
Timbalan Pengarah Eksekutif Program Makanan Sedunia (WFP), Carl Skau, menegaskan perlunya lebih banyak akses bantuan untuk mengatasi masalah kebuluran yang kritikal di utara Gaza.
Tentera AS mula pembinaan jeti sementara di Gaza
Tentera Amerika Syarikat memulakan pembinaan jeti sementara bagi penghantaran bantuan ke Gaza, diumumkan oleh Setiausaha Akhbar Jabatan Pertahanan, Patrick Ryder.
Kekejaman zionis: Penemuan kubur besar di Hospital Gaza perlu disiasat
Pasukan pertahanan awam Palestin gesa Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB) menyiasat penemuan hampir 400 mayat dari kubur besar di hospital di Gaza selepas tentera Israel meninggalkan fasiliti kesihatan itu.
Israel perlu dikenakan sekatan senjata dan minyak tanpa syarat
Wakil Khas Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu, Francesca Albanese, menyeru sekatan senjata dan minyak tanpa syarat dikenakan ke atas Israel, susulan tindakan rejim itu melanggar undang-undang antarabangsa.
Akaun Fleksibel KWSP bantu penuhi keperluan kecemasan pencarum - Pakar
Ia merupakan antara alternatif KWSP untuk memenuhi keperluan dan dana kecemasan pencarum dalam mendepani cabaran menjalani kehidupan sebelum bersara.