Swiss government appoints special prosecutor to consider criminal charges against Switzerland’s top lawyer and FIFA president Infantino
The Swiss government has appointed a special prosecutor to consider criminal charges against Fifa president Gianni Infantino, and its own top lawyer, federal prosecutor Michael Lauber.
The move caps months of controversy surrounding Mr Lauber, who has almost untrammelled power over all criminal investigations in Switzerland, and his handling of his agency’s years-long probe into corruption in world football.
Revelations last year that Mr Lauber had held numerous secret meetings with Mr Infantino to discuss his officials’ sensitive investigations against football’s governing body have all-but derailed the chances of those in Fifa suspected of corruption being successfully brought to trial in Switzerland.
The statement gave no timetable for Keller to either dismiss the complaints as unfounded or recommend further investigations.
Lauber and Infantino met twice in 2016, soon after the FIFA president was elected, and again in June 2017 while the attorney general controlled a sprawling investigation into corruption linked to the governing body of soccer and officials worldwide.
Criminal proceedings are currently open against three former FIFA officials, including Infantino predecessor Sepp Blatter and Qatari soccer and television executive Nasser al-Khelaifi. They all deny wrongdoing.
Asked last week about the formal complaints and suggestion of collusion with Lauber, Infantino said ‘œthis whole thing is quite absurd.’
‘œTo meet with the head prosecutor or attorney general of Switzerland is perfectly legitimate and it’s perfectly legal,’ the FIFA president said on June 25 during a news conference held online.
FIFA said Friday it welcomed Keller’s appointment, adding it was ‘œalso in FIFA’s best interests for the anonymous complaints to be investigated as quickly as possible.’
AP / Financial Times
