A Swiss court has charged former FIFA President Joseph Blatter and former UEFA President Michel Platini with crimes, including "fraud," according to the prosecutor's office. The Swiss Attorney General's statement noted that "both are accused of arranging an illegal payment of two million Swiss francs (2.19 million dollars) from FIFA to Michel Platini."
The matter is now up to the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona to decide whether to prosecute the two former presidents, who are also facing charges of "unfair management," "breach of trust," and "unlawful payment" in a case dating back to 2011 that led to the end of their careers.
The Swiss statement pointed out that the money was for consulting work that Platini did for Blatter, who was then FIFA President, between 1999 and 2002. It mentioned that there was a written contract for an annual compensation of 300,000 Swiss francs (187,400 euros at that time) "which Platini had invoiced on every occasion and which was fully paid by FIFA."
According to the New York Times, Blatter has been the subject of various investigations for years, but this marks the first time he has been formally charged with criminal offenses. It may not be the last time, as prosecutors are still looking into a one-million-dollar loan that FIFA provided in 2010 to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association.
These new charges come at a time when Blatter was facing competition for the FIFA presidency from Qatari billionaire Mohammed bin Hammam, who was then the head of the Asian Football Confederation. Both Blatter and Platini have maintained that the funds were delayed payments for tasks that Platini, captain of the France national team that won the European Championship in 1984, had completed for Blatter after he was first elected FIFA President in 1998.
The Swiss indictment against Blatter (85 years old) arrives as he is dealing with serious health issues, having been hospitalized several times since being forced to leave the FIFA presidency. The Swiss Attorney General's statement did not mention a date for the trial, while Blatter has stated that he will be able to clear his name.
While U.S. prosecutors have recovered tens of millions of dollars and secured convictions against prominent figures in FIFA corruption cases, efforts by Swiss authorities have yielded little so far.
