The ex-boss of UEFA and the former president of FIFA will know the judgment of the Swiss Federal Criminal Court, Friday, after their trial for “swindle”. The shadow of Gianni Infantino, current number one of FIFA, hovers on the outcome of this trial.
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Michel Platini and Sepp Blatter will soon be fixed on their fate. Friday, July 8, at 10 a.m., the former French president of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the former Swiss boss of the International Football Federation (FIFA) will go to the Federal Criminal Court (TPF) Switzerland of Bellinzone for the pronouncement of their judgment in the case of alleged disloyal payment of 2 million Swiss francs (1.9 million euros) made to Mr. Platini, in February 2011, by Mr. Blatter.
At the end of seven years of investigation, the TPF will subscribe to the thesis defended by the two men during their trial, which was held from June 8 to 22, for “suspicions of scam , unfair management, breach of trust and false in titles “? The two ex-leaders claim that this payment was made by virtue of a binding of wages on the basis of an “oral contract” sealed in 1998: they would then have granted themselves on a remuneration of 1 million Swiss annual francs , when the Frenchman officiated, from Paris, as technical advisor to Mr. Blatter, between 1998 and 2002.
Will the judges grant the benefit of the doubt to the defendants, or will they be convinced by the arguments of the prosecutor, Thomas Hildbrand? The representative of the public prosecutor of the Confederation (MPC), who requested a year and eight months suspended prison against MM. Platini and Blatter, accuses them of having “deceived” the ex-financial director of FIFA Markus Kattner, with the sending of an “fictitious invoice which did not correspond to an existing claim”. And this in order to “illegitimately enrich Mr. Platini” before the re -election of Mr. Blatter, in June 2011, for a fourth term, with the support of UEFA.
“not done to please”
At a distance, a character will carefully follow the pronouncement of the TPF judgment: Gianni Infantino. While FIFA is a civil party at the Bellinzone trial, its current president, and ex-secretary general (2009-2016) of Mr. Platini at UEFA, is at the war open with MM. Platini and Blatter. The latter suspect him of having benefited from their judicial setbacks and maneuvered behind the scenes, especially during three secret meetings (without minutes) after his election, with the Swiss prosecutor Michael LAUBER, in 2016 and 2017.
These unofficial meetings also caused, in July 2020, the opening of criminal proceedings in Switzerland targeting Mr. Infantino for “incitement to abuse of authority, to the violation of the secrecy of function and hindrance to criminal action “.
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