The maneuver of Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, to influence the communication of Swiss justice

2023-10-28 14:35:19
Gianni Infantino, in Lusail, Qatar, October 8, 2023. DARKO BANDIC / AP

Gianni Infantino can be jubilant. After more than three years of investigation, Swiss extraordinary prosecutors Ulrich Weder and Hans Maurer closed the criminal proceedings against the president of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) for his three secret meetings (without minutes), in 2016 and 2017, with the former attorney general of the Swiss Confederation, Michael Lauber, also cleared.

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The classification order of October 19, which The world consulted, confirms the character « opaque », « suspect », “clandestine” et « conspiratif » of these meetings. But, due to lack of sufficient evidence, these informal meetings “did not at the same time leave any criminally relevant fingerprints” and had no impact on the criminal proceedings relating to FIFA carried out by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Swiss Confederation (MPC).

Consequently, the extraordinary prosecutors decided to clear the seven defendants in this case. Also prosecuted: Mr. Lauber’s former spokesperson, André Marty; a childhood friend of Mr. Infantino, the first prosecutor of Haut-Valais, Rinaldo Arnold; the former legal director of FIFA, Marco Villiger; anti-corruption prosecutor Cédric Remund; and former federal prosecutor Olivier Thormann.

“A press release which would explain that there are no proceedings against you”

But the classification order highlights other facts. It shows in particular that Gianni Infantino did indeed want, in April 2016 (a few weeks after his election at the head of FIFA), with the help of his magistrate friend, Rinaldo Arnold, to influence the communication of the MPC by obtaining a press release in his favor as part of criminal proceedings opened “against unknown persons” by the MPC for “unfair management” and “breach of trust”. In 2020, FIFA assured that Mr. Infantino never wanted “clear his name” on this occasion.

This criminal investigation by the Swiss public prosecutor’s office was opened thanks to the “Panama Papers” and concerned a dubious television rights contract signed in 2006 by Mr. Infantino, who was then director of the legal affairs division of UEFA.

Read also, in 2016: “Panama papers”: the dubious contract signed by Gianni Infantino, the new boss of FIFA

In the “Football Leaks”, it appeared that Mr. Infantino was particularly worried about this investigation, which had prompted the MPC to carry out a search of the UEFA headquarters in Nyon (Switzerland). It was finally classified in November 2017.

“If you want, I can try to get the MPC to issue a press release explaining that there are no proceedings against you”written, on April 12, 2016, Mr. Arnold to Gianni Infantino, according to the “Football Leaks”. “That would be very good”replies Mr. Infantino, according to a 2019 court document and information from RTS.

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