FIFA officials waiting for extradition

After last week’s arrest of seven high-ranking FIFA officials in Zurich, the detainees are waiting for their extradition to the United States, a procedure that could take months. (RTS/swissinfo.ch)

Since the FIFA officials have not agreed to be extradited, the US authorities have to officially request their extradition. But it could be months, maybe even a year, before Switzerland sends them to New York. According to Swiss parliamentarian and lawyer Yves  Nidegger, the legal basis is insufficient for an extradition. He claims that according to Swiss law, a case of private corruption can’t be prosecuted without charges.

For Douglas Hornung, an expert on American law, there is a different problem: he doubts that the United States has the legal competence to judge this case of corruption. For him the fact that money passed through American banks doesn’t seem enough to justify the involvement of the American legal authorities. He claims that nothing took place in the US and the people concerned aren’t US citizens.

There is a lot of political pressure. For the Swiss justice ministry it’s a complicated and difficult decision.