News Americas, ZURICH, Switzerland, Tues. Sept. 15, 2015: U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch dropped a bombshell in Zurich Monday as she discussed with the media for the first time the FIFA bribery probe launched by the federal government earlier this year.
Here are five fast facts:
1: More charges coming
The U.S. Attorney General on Monday revealed that more charges in the corruption probe are coming. “Based upon … cooperation and new evidence, we anticipate pursuing additional charges against individuals and entities,” the AG said in her first news conference about the case since the stunning May 27 arrests of seven people at a luxury hotel in Zurich.
She added that the pending indictment and investigation remains active and ongoing, and has in fact expanded since May.
2: Defendants In The U.S.
Three defendants charged in the FIFA football case are currently in the United States and have been arraigned in federal court in Brooklyn, where the cases against them are proceeding.
Ten others are currently pending extradition in Switzerland and in three other countries including Trinidad & Tobago.
Lynch spoke alongside her Swiss counterpart, Michael Lauber, whose separate investigation of money laundering appears equally threatening to FIFA and its soon-departing president, the AP reported.
3: The Charges
Two days before the FIFA presidential election on May 29, Lynch’s Department of Justice indicted 14 soccer and marketing officials and unsealed six guilty pleas in a $150 million bribery and racketeering conspiracy.
In the four months since then, thirteen of the 14 defendants charged have been arrested by either U.S. or foreign authorities. Former Trinidad Minister and FIFA VP, Jack Warner has been charged but is fighting extradition in Trinidad. Cayman Island-born Jeffrey Webb, who once sat pretty as President of CONCACAF and FIFA’s vice president recently entered a not guilty plea in Brooklyn federal court to all 17 felony charges he faces including racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. Webb must now wear an electric monitoring device and cannot leave his residence without approval from the FBI except for medical emergencies. He must also employ a private security firm, which will monitor his movements for authorities and will protect him from possible danger.
4: The Swiss Role
The Swiss have been critical in the investigation and partnered with the US, a fact Lynch acknowledged on Monday.
“Our level of cooperation with our international partners in the fight against corruption in soccer has only increased since May,” she said. “ Our cooperation with the Swiss authorities, for which we are grateful, is strong and multifaceted. We could not ask for a better partner than Attorney General Lauber.”
Swiss federal agencies have seized properties in the Swiss Alps and seized evidence during house searches in western Switzerland, Lauber said. A total of 121 bank accounts have been reported as suspicious by a Swiss financial intelligence unit to a team of prosecutors, Lauber said.
5: AG Lynch Speaks Tough
Attorney General Lynch had tough words for FIFA officials Monday. “To anyone who seeks to live in the past and to return soccer to the days of corruption and bribery, cronyism and patronage, this global response sends a clear message: you are on the wrong side of progress and do a disservice to the integrity of this wonderful sport,” she said while thanking the Swiss for their cooperation.
She, however, did not say whether she will go after former FIFA President Sepp Blatter.
