FIFA executive Leoz named in ISL fraud trial
Updated: 2008-03-12 10:02
ZUG, Switzerland - Prosecutors investigating the collapse of FIFA's former marketing partner ISL presented evidence on Tuesday of payments made from a secret company bank account to FIFA executive committee member Nicolas Leoz.
Leoz, president of the South American Football Confederation (CSF) since 1986, was named among a long list of beneficiaries alleged to have received payment via a Liechtenstein bank account from a company wholly owned by ISL but never declared in the company structure of its holding firm ISMM.
The payments were set out in a 228-page prosecution document handed to journalists on the opening day of a trial over ISL's spectacular collapse in 2001.
Six former ISL and ISMM executives are facing charges ranging from embezzlement to the falsification of documents with prosecutors calling for prison sentences of up to four and a half years.
Leoz has not been charged with any wrongdoing and the prosecution papers gave no indication as to the purpose of the payments made to the 79-year-old Paraguayan in January and May 2000, totalling $130,0000.
In Asuncion, CSF spokesman Nestor Benitez said the federation had nothing to add to a statement issued in September 2006. The statement, signed by general secretary Eduardo Deluca, said: "No member of the institution has received any money from the afore mentioned company."
"Nothing has changed since then," said Benitez.
The prosecution file argues that the overall purpose of the Liechtenstein account was to bribe sporting officials in an effort to secure lucrative contracts for ISL.
In total the prosecution says that more than 18 million Swiss francs ($17.72 million) was paid out "to people involved either directly or indirectly in contracts entered into by the ISMM group."
SIX ACCUSED
Former ISMM general director Jean-Marie Weber, one of the six accused, is himself listed as the recipient of 190,000 Swiss francs although the prosecution said it was unable to establish for certain whether Weber had personally profited from the transactions or simply been a go-between.
Weber told the court on Tuesday that he was still in occasional contact with FIFA president Sepp Blatter "on a purely social basis" but no longer had any business dealings with world soccer's governing body.
He said he rejected all the charges against him and intended to exercise his right to silence for the remainder of the trial.
The Zug-based firm collapsed in May 2001 with estimated debts or around $300 million.
ISL managed FIFA's marketing and television rights for more than 20 years. Former partners also included the International Olympic Committee and the men's tennis ATP Tour, with which ISL signed a $1.2 billion marketing deal in 1999.
The bribery allegations are expected to play only a minor role in the overall trial which is more focused on accusations of criminal mismanagement in the build-up and aftermath of the company's collapse.
All six defendants have entered not guilty pleas.
|
|
|
||
|
||
|
|
|
|