An 11-year-old corruption case over alleged kickbacks at world football’s governing body Fifa has been sent to Switzerland's highest court.
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The case implicates unnamed Fifa officials in a scandal involving the now-bankrupt Swiss-based sport marketing firm ISL. At a court hearing in 2008, it emerged that ISL had paid up to SFr138 million ($150 million) to Fifa and other sport organisations in return for lucrative marketing licences.
The case has landed before the Swiss Federal Court after appeals were lodged to block publication of a 2010 settlement document which reportedly names the football officials who took the kickbacks and had paid $6.1 million to remain anonymous.
The appeals challenge a December decision by canton Zug’s top court calling on Fifa to publish the dossier.
The Federal Court has opened five separate case files but said the appellants’ identities must remain confidential for now. The cases are likely to take several months to process.
Zurich-based Fifa has said it supported the Zug ruling and wouldn’t appeal. In October, Fifa President Sepp Blatter promised to release the Zug court document, with the permission of his ruling board after a meeting in December.
But Fifa postponed publication, citing “legal measures” taken by a party involved in the ISL scandal.
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