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16 July 2015
- From the section Europe
A Fifa official detained in a raid in Switzerland has been extradited to the US, Swiss authorities say.
The unnamed man was one of seven football officials held on corruption charges in Switzerland on 27 May.
He was taken to New York by a three-man police escort on Wednesday, the Swiss Justice Department says.
The person was not named, but earlier reports said Cayman Islands official Jeffrey Webb had waived his right to fight the American extradition request.
Mr Webb, 50, is the former president of the Central and North American football federation, Concacaf, and is a Fifa vice-president.
He is accused of accepting bribes worth millions of dollars in connection with the sale of marketing rights.
The arrest of the Cayman Islands’ favourite son
The BBC’s sports news correspondent, Richard Conway, says under US federal rules, a charged defendant must be brought before a judge “without unnecessary delay” upon their arrival in the district in which charges are laid.
Since the defendant left Zurich on Wednesday, a court appearance may take place soon.
The key allegations
- Wire fraud conspiracy and wire fraud
- Money laundering conspiracy and money laundering
- Obstruction of justice
- If convicted the defendants could face 20 years in prison.
Six of the seven arrested men are fighting their extradition to the US, where the charges were laid.
The men were held at the request of the US Department of Justice, which has indicted a total of 14 current and former Fifa officials and associates on charges of “rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted” corruption” following a major inquiry by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The investigation was initially sparked by the bidding process for the Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 World Cups, but was widened to look back at the dealings of world football’s governing body over the past 20 years.
The Department of Justice’s indictment says that the corruption was planned in the US, and that American banks were used to transfer money.
