53 possible money-laundering cases noted in ‘huge and complex’ FIFA probe

Swiss banks have noted 53 possible money-laundering incidents as part of an investigation of FIFA's 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding contests, the country's Attorney General Michael Lauber said Wednesday.

He said the “suspicious bank relations” were reported within the framework of Switzerland's anti-money-laundering regulations.

Lauber added that he “does not exclude” the possibility of interviewing FIFA’s outgoing President Sepp Blatter and Secretary General Jerome Valcke in the future, though neither are currently under suspicion.

Addressing the media for the first time since the Swiss investigation into world soccer’s governing body was announced three weeks ago, Lauber said the case is “huge and complex.”

He declined to discuss a timetable for the case, which targets “criminal mismanagement and money laundering” in the bidding contests which sent the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar.

Still, he is prepared for either country to be stripped of the hosting rights if new evidence proves wrongdoing.

“I don’t mind if this has some collateral [damage] somewhere else,” he said. “I don't care about the timetable of FIFA. I care very much about my own timetable, which I can't disclose.”

Lauber would not be drawn on whether South Africa’s successful bid for the 2010 World Cup — which allegedly involved a $10 million bribe — was also within the scope of his investigation.

“This is a dynamic process,” he said. “It could really go everywhere and that is why I don't want to tell you which direction I put my focus.”

“I have coercive measures and I am independent,” he added at a news conference called after his re-election by federal authorities for a four-year mandate.

Soccer’s world governing body sent Lauber a 430-page investigation report submitted last September by FIFA's former ethics prosecutor, Michael Garcia.

The former U.S. Attorney from the Southern District of New York led a team that spent two years investigating the World Cup bidding contests, which included nine candidates from 11 countries.

However, Garcia could not compel some FIFA voters to meet with him and did not have subpoena powers to gather key evidence. Russian officials failed to provide much evidence, claiming computers used by bid staffers were leased and later destroyed.

The Swiss probe is coupled with a separate investigation into alleged bribery and racketeering at FIFA by US federal agencies.

The twin investigations threw FIFA into crisis on May 27 with dual raids in Zurich on a luxury downtown hotel and its own headquarters two days before its presidential election.

Two FIFA vice presidents, Jeffrey Webb of the Cayman Islands and Eugenio Figueredo of Uruguay, were among seven football officials arrested by Swiss police acting on an American request. They face extradition to the U.S.

On the same day, data and documents were seized at FIFA’s offices for the Swiss case. More evidence was collected from FIFA last week.

Al Jazeera and The Associated Press