Former Swiss Banker Jorge Luis Arzuaga has admitted of paying millions of dollars in bribes to Fifa’s former senior executive Julio Grondona, chairman of football’s world governing body’s finance committee and president of the Argentinian football association, the Guardian report.
Following US investigation into Fifa-related corruption, Jorge Luis Arzuaga pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy charge on Thursday.
The 56-year-old former banker admitted opening bank accounts for Grondona in Switzerland and channeling up to $25 million (£19.5m) in bribes to him and other high-ranking Fifa officials from Torneos, an Argentinian TV rights marketing company. In addition, Arzuaga has also admitted of receiving $1.046 million to carry out this corruption with the world football’s governing body.
A statement issued on Friday by the office of country’s attorney-general (OAG) read: “Around two years after opening the investigations in the football cases, this conviction marks the conclusion of criminal proceedings in Switzerland.
“These proceedings were co-ordinated to end at the same time and benefited from good co-operation between the respective prosecution authorities. The OAG appreciates the efficient co-ordination with the US authorities.”
Another key suspect in this high profile corruption case, Burzaco, pleaded guilty last year of paying bribes and kickbacks for securing TV and marketing rights to multiple South American football tournaments.
The OAG concluded ‘ the payments unlawfully obtained by the bank employee as a result of these offences, which amounted to $US 650,000, will be forfeited to the Swiss general treasury.’
OAG also confirmed that they will continue 25 separate investigations into alleged corruption committed by senior figures within Fifa, after receiving 178 reports of alleged money laundering and is analyzing documents amounting to 19 terabytes of data.
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