Fifa: US submits extradition requests for officials
The extradition requests relate to the arrest of seven officials from Fifa who were detained in Zurich in May after a police raid on a luxury hotel.
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The Swiss say the formal extradition requests were submitted to the Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) yesterday evening. Two of the seven people arrested were then-members of Fifa’s executive committee.
The Swiss FOJ says the requests are based on arrest warrants issued by the US Attorney’s Office which is investigating the high-ranking Fifa officials on suspicion of taking bribes worth over 100 million dollars.
It says, “in return, those suspected of paying the bribes – representatives of sports media and sports promotion firms – are believed to have received media, marketing and sponsorship rights for soccer tournaments in the United States and in Latin America. These crimes are thought to have been agreed and prepared in the USA, and payments were allegedly routed through US banks.”
Read more: Swiss officials investigating Fifa banking links
The Swiss say they expect to rule on the extradition within a few weeks. All seven defendants have challenged extradition.
In total, nine football officials and five sports media and promotions executives face extradition to the United States on corruption charges, US authorities said. The investigation relates to allegations of bribery in world football dating back to the 1990s and adding up to $150mn [more than £95mn.]