Swiss authorities have returned $40 million in frozen funds from former Fifa executives' accounts to the South American football confederation Conmebol.
The move follows corruption investigations that involved former Fifa financial executive and president of Conmebol Nicholas Leoz and former Conmebol secretary general Eduardo Deluca.
The Swiss Office of the Attorney General (OAG) announced on Wednesday that it would be returning the funds to the confederation.
"The funds forfeited between December 2019 and September 2020 amounted to around CHF 36.6 million ($40m) and were unlawfully acquired to the prejudice of Conmebol," the OAG told The National.
“As the party suffering harm within the respective criminal proceedings is doubtlessly known – the Conmebol – the forfeited funds will be returned directly to it. The restitution of funds to the party suffering harm and being entitled to them is required by law and serves to restore the lawful state.”
Leoz and Deluca were both alleged to have abused their positions to unlawfully enrich themselves and perhaps others, the OAG said.
Swiss criminal proceedings against Leoz were abandoned after his death aged 90 in August 2019, while Deluca was convicted of complicity in multiple instances of aggravated criminal mismanagement.
Last month, the OAG abandoned criminal proceedings against Deluca as Argentina conducted an investigation of its own into the matter, the OAG said.
Leoz, the most powerful man in South American football for more than two decades, was embroiled in football corruption scandals in the US, Argentina and Switzerland.
The former head of England’s Football Association, David Triesman, accused Leoz of demanding a knighthood in return for his support for England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup.
He spent recent years under house arrest in Paraguay fighting extradition to the US on corruption charges.
Prior to his death from a heart attack, Leoz, who was president of Conmebol from 1986 to 2013, appealed against Paraguay’s decision to extradite him.
Interpol had issued a red notice for his arrest after the US charged him in 2015 with repeatedly soliciting and accepting six- and seven-figure bribes and engaging in schemes dating to 1991 that had diverted revenue from international football into his pocket.
He was also accused of accepting bribes in the late 1980s and early 2000s from a Swiss sports marketing company in exchange for awarding lucrative broadcasting contracts.
A similar Fifa trial against other executives over the awarding of World Cup broadcasting rights to Qatari-backed beIN Sport is ongoing.
Last November, Fifa’s Ethics Committee found Deluca guilty of bribery over the awarding of sponsorship contracts and fined him $2m.
Fifa’s investigation revealed sponsorship contracts worth $40m had been jointly signed by Leoz and Deluca in exchange for bribes.
Deluca, a former member of Fifa’s Confederation Cup and Fifa’s U20 World Cup, received $6.8m from the companies in bribes.
He received a lifetime ban from all football related activities last year.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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More coverage from the Future Forum
The specs: 2019 Mini Cooper
Price, base: Dh141,740 (three-door) / Dh165,900 (five-door)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder (Cooper) / 2.0-litre four-cylinder (Cooper S)
Power: 136hp @ 4,500rpm (Cooper) / 192hp @ 5,000rpm (Cooper S)
Torque: 220Nm @ 1,480rpm (Cooper) / 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (Cooper S)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 4.8L to 5.4L / 100km
Match info
Karnataka Tuskers 110-3
J Charles 35, M Pretorius 1-19, Z Khan 0-16
Deccan Gladiators 111-5 in 8.3 overs
K Pollard 45*, S Zadran 2-18
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Results
3pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,000m; Winner: Dhafra, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
3.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Al Ajayib, Antonio Fresu, Eric Lemartinel
4pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: Ashtr, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Majed Al Jahouri
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: Falcon Claws, Szczepan Mazur, Doug Watson
5pm: Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan Cup – Prestige Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: Al Mufham SB, Al Moatasem Al Balushi, Badar Al Hajri
5.30pm: Sharjah Marathon – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 2,700m; Winner: Asraa Min Al Talqa, Al Moatasem Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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The five pillars of Islam
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What is an FTO Designation?
FTO designations impose immigration restrictions on members of the organisation simply by virtue of their membership and triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to the designated organisation as well as asset freezes.
It is a crime for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to or receive military-type training from or on behalf of a designated FTO.
Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances removable from, the United States.
Except as authorised by the Secretary of the Treasury, any US financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which an FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Treasury Department.
Source: US Department of State
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
JAPANESE GRAND PRIX INFO
Schedule (All times UAE)
First practice: Friday, 5-6.30am
Second practice: Friday, 9-10.30am
Third practice: Saturday, 7-8am
Qualifying: Saturday, 10-11am
Race: Sunday, 9am-midday
Race venue: Suzuka International Racing Course
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Number of Laps: 53
Watch live: beIN Sports HD
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Liverpool v Bayern Munich, midnight (Wednesday), BeIN Sports
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
