FIFA Investigation Exposes Money Laundering To UK Fraud Office

The main office of fraud investigations within Britain has been the recipient of new details related to money laundering as part of its ongoing investigation into FIFA, which is the governing body of football around the globe.

The new details were disclosed by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), according to Reuters. The fraud office’s investigation takes root from the United States where FIFA has been charged with money laundering, fraud and bribery. In a statement given to British lawmakers, SFO Director David Green said, “We are still examining issues around possible money laundering. I can’t yet go into detail about that, but there are several aspects to it, and some new information has come to us quite recently.”

[bctt tweet=”FIFA is embroiled in the worst scandal seen in its more than 100-year-old history.”]

The SFO said that it might not be able to examine FIFA through bribery laws. Green said that that he did not believe the investigation thus far had found any evidence of a British link that would permit the SFO to investigate the sport’s overseers for bribery. “My position would be that we cannot touch FIFA with the Bribery Act as things stand,” said Green, especially in the event that there could be a “line of liability” against sponsors if, in FIFA’s defense, it could be established they had failed to follow adequate procedures.

As has been widely reported, said Reuters, “FIFA is embroiled in the worst scandal of its 111-year history.” Sepp Blatter, who had headed FIFA, and Michel Platini, the president of European football’s governing body, UEFA, who had been likely to succeed him, are under suspension for 90 days as part of the investigation. In addition, in yet another investigation, Swiss authorities are in the midst of probing the decision to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar. Recently, Visa, a sponsor of the World Cup, has called for an independent commission to push reforms at FIFA.

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