More arrests and charges in FIFA corruption probe should be expected, says AG Lynch
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Expect more arrests and indictments in connection with the U.S.-led FIFA corruption probe, the U.S. attorney general has announced.
During a speech in Zurich on Monday, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said that the final whistle had yet to blow on the U.S. Department of Justice’s investigation of world soccer’s top officials in the international soccer governing body.
“Separate and apart from the pending indictment, our investigation has expanded since May,” Lynch said in her speech. “The scope of our investigation is not limited and is following the evidence where it leads. We do anticipate pursuing additional changes against individuals and entities.”
Lynch noted that, since the mass arrest of FIFA officials which took place in May, 13 of the 14 defendants charged have been arrested by either U.S. or foreign law enforcement authorities, while three defendants have been arraigned in Brooklyn federal court. Lynch stated that ten other defendants are in the process of being extradited.
According to the Guardian, Lynch specifically declined to comment on whether FIFA President Sepp Blatter was a target, or whether the expanded probe would interfere with Blatter’s travel plans (Blatter was forced to skip the Women’s World Cup held this past June in Canada a month after the May arrests). The Guardian also reported that Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber was investigating claims that Blatter sold TV rights to the 2010 and 2014 World Cups to disgraced former FIFA official Jack Warner for a fraction of what they were worth.
“I have been gratified to see that the response to this problem has not been limited to one country or even one continent,” Lynch said. “The problem of corruption in soccer is global, and we will remain vigilant in our efforts to support a global response.”
