Swiss prosecutor begins criminal proceedings into FIFA president
A Swiss special prosecutor has opened criminal proceedings against FIFA president Gianni Infantino in relation to off-the-record meetings held with Attorney General Michael Lauber.
Stefan Keller, the prosecutor tasked with looking into the Lauber-Infantino dealings, also made a request to parliament on Thursday to lift the immunity enjoyed by the Swiss Attorney General.
Keller’s investigations deemed thatExternal link further proceedings were warranted into “abuse of public office, breach of official secrecy, assisting offenders, and incitement to these acts”.
Both the Attorney General and Infantino have denied any wrongdoing.
Last week, Lauber offered his resignation after a federal court found he had committed several breaches of his official duties and lied to investigators who were looking into the FIFA meetings.
Citing concerns about the reputation of the Office of the Attorney General, Lauber said he will step down on August 31, when he will be provisionally replaced by his two deputies.
Special prosecutor Keller also announced on Thursday the opening of proceedings against Valais prosecutor Rinaldo Arnold, who – like Infantino – is not protected by immunity.
Lauber currently enjoys the immunity of a public representative elected by parliament.
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.