Top Swiss prosecutor ‘should not be re-elected’ for another term
A parliamentary commission has recommended that Switzerland’s top criminal prosecutor, Michael Lauber, should not be nominated for another term in office following controversial meetings during the investigation of FIFA.
Lauber is seeking another four-year mandate as Attorney General, but this needs approval from lawmakers. Parliament will ultimately decide his fate on September 25, but an influential commission of politicians gave him the thumbs down on Wednesday.
This follows revelations that Lauber had conducted secret meetings with FIFA boss Gianni Infantino in the midst of a corruption probe into football’s world governing body. The Attorney General’s office is probing allegations of corrupt payments being made between top FIFA officials in an investigation that has attracted worldwide attention.
In June, the Federal Criminal Court ruled that Lauber and two deputies violated procedural rules when they failed to report and document three meetings. The court told Lauber to recuse himself from the FIFA investigation.
In light of that ruling, the parliamentary commission has recommended to parliament that Lauber should not retain his post for another four years. Lauber has consistently denied any wrong-doing and has suggested that criticism has been politically motivated.
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