The Swiss voice in the world since 1935

Prosecutors mull Blatter and Platini acquittal appeal

A smiling Joseph Blatter speaks to reporters outside of the courthouse following his acquittal
The 86-year-old Sepp Blatter was delighted with his court acquittal earlier this month. © Ti-press

Swiss federal prosecutors have started an appeal process against a court decision to acquit former football bosses Joseph ‘Sepp’ Blatter and Michel Platini of corruption.

The former head of world football’s governing body FIFA, Blatter, and the ex-boss of European football UEFA, Platini, were cleared of wrongdoing on July 8.

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has now asked the Swiss court in Bellinzona to produce written justification of the verdict, reports Swiss public broadcaster RTSExternal link.

This will form the basis of an eventual OAG decision on whether to push ahead with an official appeal.

Blatter and Platini were cleared of fraud and corruption surrounding a CHF2 million ($2.05 million) payment from FIFA to Platini in 2011 for consultancy work.

Prosecutors had asked the court to impose suspended 20-month prison sentences on both men, and to make them repay CHF2.23 million to FIFA.

The collapse of the case was a major setback for Swiss prosecutors who had spent years bringing the high profile case to court.

After being cleared in court, Blatter and Platini were awarded legal costs of CHF80,000 and CHF140,000 respectively. Blatter also accepted a payment of CHF20,000 as compensation for moral damages. Platini refused a similar offer, but he is able to reclaim the CHF2 million payment, which had been frozen.

Popular Stories

News

Safra Sarasin and a former asset manager sentenced

More

Swiss Politics

Safra Sarasin private bank and former asset manager sentenced

This content was published on The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has fined private bank J. Safra Sarasin CHF3.5 million for aggravated money laundering. A former bank employee received a six-month suspended prison sentence.

Read more: Safra Sarasin private bank and former asset manager sentenced
1MDB affair: JPMorgan to pay CHF 270 million

More

Swiss Politics

JPMorgan to pay CHF270 million to settle 1MDB claims

This content was published on JPMorgan Chase has agreed to pay CHF270 million to the Malaysian government to settle all issues related to its role in the 1MDB financial scandal.

Read more: JPMorgan to pay CHF270 million to settle 1MDB claims
Philippe Lazzarini has overseen UNRWA since 2020.

More

Foreign Affairs

UNRWA boss Lazzarini to step down in March 2026

This content was published on Philippe Lazzarini will step down as head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) at the end of his term in March, he announced on Thursday.

Read more: UNRWA boss Lazzarini to step down in March 2026
Gösgen NPP outage darkens profit prospects for Axpo and Alpiq

More

Swiss Politics

Outage extended at Swiss nuclear plant

This content was published on The Gösgen nuclear power plant in northwestern Switzerland will be out of service for six months. It has not been connected to the grid since late May.

Read more: Outage extended at Swiss nuclear plant

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR