Swiss return frozen CHF36 million to South American football federation
Swiss authorities have returned about CHF36.6 million ($40 million) in funds frozen in Swiss bank accounts amid football corruption investigations into the South American football confederation CONMEBOL.
This content was published on
1 minute
Reuters/ts
Español
es
Suiza devuelve 36 millones de francos a la CONMEBOL
The Swiss Office of the Attorney General (OAG) had opened several criminal proceedings in connection with South American football officials, including former confederation president Nicolas Leoz and former secretary general Eduardo Deluca. Both were alleged to have abused their positions to unlawfully enrich themselves and perhaps others, the OAG said on Wednesday.
“The funds forfeited between December 2019 and September 2020 amounted to around CHF36.6 million and were unlawfully acquired to the prejudice of CONMEBOL,” the OAG said in a statementExternal link. In September 2020 alone the restitution of over CHF20.5 million in unlawfully acquired funds was ordered.
“As the party suffering harm within the respective criminal proceedings is doubtlessly known – the CONMEBOL – the forfeited funds will be returned directly to it.”
Swiss criminal proceedings against Leoz were abandoned after his death in August 2019, while Deluca was convicted by summary penalty order of complicity in multiple instances of aggravated criminal mismanagement.
Last month the OAG abandoned criminal proceedings against Deluca as well because Argentina was conducting an investigation into the same matter, the OAG said.
Swiss money laundering office registers record number of reports
This content was published on
The Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS) registered a record number of reports of suspicious activity last year.
Two teens accused of planning terror attack released from custody
This content was published on
The Schaffhausen judiciary has released the two teenagers from custody who allegedly planned bomb attacks in Switzerland.
OECD: Sluggish economic activity slowing growth in Switzerland
This content was published on
Sluggish economic activity at the start of the year is weighing on growth in Switzerland, with GDP expected to fall to 1.1% in 2024.
Report finds mistakes which led to Swiss government data breach
This content was published on
Mistakes were made by both the government and internet company Xplain in the case of a criminal cyber-attack on the Bern-based IT business.
Swiss government wants better gender balance in federal administration
This content was published on
New Swiss government personnel management targets say there must be even more female managers in the federal administration.
Swiss national science foundation funded over 5,000 projects in 2023
This content was published on
In 2023, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) provided a total of CHF961 million worth of funding towards research projects.
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.
Read more
More
Parliament denies under-fire Swiss Attorney General immunity
This content was published on
The Swiss parliament has decided to waive Michael Lauber’s immunity, which paves the way for possible criminal proceedings against him.
Corruption at FIFA: 25 criminal cases and a prosecutor in hot water
This content was published on
Switzerland's attorney general Michael Lauber is facing impeachment proceedings over controversial secret meetings with the FIFA president.
High-profile FIFA case falls victim to the coronavirus
This content was published on
The trial of four former officials over payments linked to the 2006 World Cup has been suspended again, meaning a verdict will not be reached.
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.