At 86, Sepp Blatter could emerge unscathed from the myriad of criminal investigations opened since 2015 against him by the public prosecutor of the Swiss Confederation (MPC). Already released, like Michel Platini, on Friday July 8, of the heads of “fraud, unfair management, breach of trust and forgery in the titles” by the Federal Criminal Court (TPF) of Bellinzona in the case of payment of two million Swiss francs (two million euros) made to the French in 2011, the former president of the International Football Federation (FIFA) has learned another good news on the judicial level.
According to information from Worldthe Swiss public prosecutor’s office notified the parties on July 5 that it intended to close a criminal investigation opened against Mr. Blatter in May 2020 for “suspicions of unfair management”.
“ We confirm that the MPC has communicated to the parties that it considers the criminal investigation to be complete and ready to be closed and that it intends to close the proceedings concerning this set of facts. »declares to World the prosecution, stating that this classification is not yet effective.
This survey is aimed at “Million Dollar Interest-Free, Secured Loan” paid from a FIFA account, in April 2010, to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation, then under the control of Jack Warner, former president of the Confederation of North and Central America (Concacaf). The latter was suspended for life by FIFA and charged with corruption by the American justice system in 2015.
Prosecutions for “suspicions of unfair management” which also target the two ex-lieutenants of Mr. Blatter, the French Jérôme Valcke, former secretary general of FIFA, and Markus Kattner, the ex-financial director, should also be abandoned by the MPC.
“I am a marked man”
In June 2020, the judicial institution had closed a first criminal investigation against Mr. Blatter on a controversial television contract, signed by the Swiss in 2005 with the Caribbean Football Union, at the time directed by Mr. Warner.
Then, in January 2021, the prosecution had closed another part of the procedure against the former world football number: it concerned a private jet flight made by Jack Warner in 2007. FIFA had paid for this trip for an amount of 365,000 dollars (361,000 euros).
The decision of the MPC to close another investigation targeting Mr. Blatter comes as the management of the prosecution awaits the written reasons for the judgment on the case of the payment of two million Swiss francs made to Mr. Platini before deciding on a possible call.
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