One of seven detained FIFA officials agrees to extradition

Swiss authorities say one of seven detained FIFA officials has agreed to be extradited to the US Keystone

One of seven FIFA officials detained in Switzerland in a corruption probe has agreed to be extradited to the United States, the Federal Office of Justice said on Friday.

It did not name the person or give any details on when he might be sent to the United States under US police escort but said it would take place within ten days. 

The FIFA-official was arrested along with six other officials of world football’s governing body in Zurich on May 27 on the basis of arrest warrants from the US and detained pending extradition. 

The US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York accuses him of accepting bribes totalling millions of dollars in connection with the sale of marketing rights to various sports marketing firms and keeping the money for himself. 

The marketing rights in question pertain to the broadcast of qualifying matches for the football World Cup, regional football tournaments and continental football championships in North and South America.  

Simplified procedure 

In a statement on Friday, the Federal Office of Justice said it had been able to approve the man’s extradition immediately in a simplified procedure. 

In a first hearing conducted by Zurich cantonal police immediately after his arrest, the person concerned had contested his extradition to the US. The Federal Office of Justice therefore asked the US to submit a formal extradition request, which it did on July 1. 

A hearing on this formal extradition request took place on Thursday, and this time the person concerned agreed to be extradited to the USA. 

According to the Swiss law on mutual assistance in criminal matters, the person concerned must be collected by a US police escort and taken to the USA within ten days.