2023-10-26 11:18:33
ZURICH (AP) — Switzerland’s extraordinary attorneys general have filed criminal proceedings once morest FIFA president Gianni Infantino linked to undisclosed meetings with the country’s former attorney general.
Infantino met with Michael Lauber in 2016, shortly following being elected president of world soccer’s governing body, during an extensive investigation into international soccer in Switzerland and by the United States Department of Justice. According to the press, there was another meeting in 2017.
Both Infantino and Lauber stated that they did not remember details of those meetings.
Lauber lost his job in 2020 as a result of meetings with Infantino, following it was discovered that he misled and obstructed the work of an oversight office of federal prosecutors.
A court later removed the first extraordinary prosecutor, Stefan Keller, from the position following Infantino formally complained of bias.
Jans Maurer and Ulrich Weder took up the case and interrogated Infantino in January, upon his return to Switzerland following the World Cup in Qatar.
The case has been filed and no charges were filed, they said Thursday.
In a statement, FIFA said it took note “with extreme satisfaction” of the prosecutors’ decision.
“Obviously, the result of this investigation is not surprising at all,” he said. “The only surprising element is the time it took to reach such an obvious conclusion.”
Infantino said it was a “total and clear victory for me, for the new FIFA and for justice.”
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