By Edward
Malnick, David Lawler, Peter Foster and Claire Newell
More than a
dozen sprawling mansions and beachside apartments were funded by Fifa
corruption scandal, say US prosecutors.
The
officials and company executives caught up in the corruption investigation into
Fifa built illicit property empires that included sites ranging from a
palatial-style estate in Georgia to a luxury apartment overlooking Biscayne Bay
in Miami, prosecutors claim.
More than a
dozen homes, many registered to offshore companies, are alleged by US
authorities to have been either obtained illegally or bought using illicit
funds. In one case a senior Fifa official is said to have obtained property in
the US using a bribe transferred to him specifically for that purpose
The
properties include a six-bedroom detached house in Loganville, Georgia, owned
by Jeffrey Webb, the Fifa vice-president and president of the Confederation of
North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf).
The home,
worth an estimated $940,000 (£613,000), was built in 2007 in a palatial style,
with ornate pillars, large balconies and a sweeping exterior staircase.
It includes
a pool which prosecutors allege was funded with bribe money. Another of Mr
Webb’s properties is held by Kosson Properties Limited, a firm believed to have
been set up by Costas Takkas, a British official who acted as his attaché as
Concacaf president.
An
indictment filed in the US alleges that the funds for the property came from a
bribe paid by Traffic Sports USA, a sports marketing company seeking lucrative
commercial rights contracts with Fifa.
The money was allegedly wired to Mr Takkas, who
transferred a portion to an account in his name in Miami, before transferring
funds to a swimming pool builder in Georgia, where Mr Webb was installing a
pool at his Loganville home.
“Takkas transferred another portion of the
funds directly from his Kosson Ventures account at Fidelity Bank in the Cayman
Islands to SunTrust Bank in Georgia for Webb’s benefit in connection with
Webb’s purchase of other real estate in Stone Mountain, Georgia,” the
indictment states.
The indictment names two properties in Stone
Mountain, both of which are registered in the name of Kosson Properties.
One, worth an estimated $142,000, is a large
four-bedroom home spanning 2,846 sq ft, while the other is a three-bedroom
property about five miles away.
The properties identified by the US authorities
also include a flat worth an estimated $1.57 million overlooking Biscayne Bay. It
is owned by Aaron Davidson, 44, the president of Traffic Sports, who is one of
four sports marketing executives charged by US prosecutors.
The properties named in the indictment also
include three Florida homes that the Telegraph has linked to Rafael Esquivel,
68, the president of the Venezuelan football federation.
They are collectively worth an estimated
$483,000.
Separately, Eduardo Li, 56, a Fifa executive
committee member from Costa Rica also arrested in Zurich, owns a home in
Aventura, Florida, bought for $545,000 in 2007, as well as a property in one of
the most expensive areas of his home country.
One of the largest property empires, however,
appears to have been built by Jack Warner, the former Fifa vice-president, and
his family. Like Mr Li’s properties, though, these do not appear to be listed
in the indictment as specifically funded by bribes and therefore vulnerable to
seizure.
Mr Warner, 72, who lives in a large detached
house in Trinidad, is accused of receiving $10 million in bribes. Between them his
two sons own at least a dozen properties, mainly in Miami.
A history of Fifa
corruption
Cash for votes exposé
October 2010
Reynald Temarii, president of the Oceania Football
Confederation, is recorded telling Sunday Times reporters that two bids had
offered "huge" payments for his support in the 2018 World Cup bidding
process and that he had received offers of between $10-12 million (£7.5
million). Amos Adamu, a Fifa executive committee member from Nigeria, says he
wants $800,000 (£500,000) to build four artificial football pitches, which
contravenes Fifa's rules. Both men tell reporters they could facilitate access
to the men who’ll decide where the tournaments will be held. Adamu and Temarii
are provisionally suspended from all football-related activity pending the
outcome of an investigation. Sunday Times also exposed the referees committee,
Ahongalu Fusimalohi and former executive committee member Ismael Bhamjee.
Blatter promises investigation
October 2010
Fifa president Sepp Blatter writes to all 24
executive committee members promising a full investigation into allegations. It
emerges that the Spain-Portugal and Qatar bids could face expulsion from the
contest for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments if the duo are found guilty of
colluding. Spain-Portugal’s bid leader accuses England of doing a deal with the
USA in breach of Fifa regulations.
Temarii and Adamu are banned
November 2010
It is reported that the Spain-Portugal and
Qatar World Cup bids could escape censure over the allegations of collusion,
after Fifa executive committee member Chuck Blazer confirms that no hard
evidence had been passed to its ethics committee. Adamu is suspended for three
years and fined 10,000 Swiss francs (£6,341) while Temarii is banned for a year
and fined 5,000 Swiss francs (£3,170). Panel concludes there is insufficient
proof of collusion between the Spain/Portugal and Qatar bids.
Russia and Qatar win World Cup bids
December 2010
English FA is humiliated as Russia is handed
2018 World Cup finals; Qatar gets the 2022 tournament. Roger Burden, acting
chairman of the FA, stands down after relations between FA and Fifa descend
into acrimony. Burden said he “wanted nothing more to do with them [Fifa]”.
Swiss government prepares to investigate risk of corruption in sports bodies
based in the country following Fifa’s controversial award of the two World Cup
finals.
Telegraph reveals Qatar corruption
January 2011
Documents seen by Telegraph Sport reveal that
Qatar offered to relocate the headquarters of the Asian Football Confederation
to Doha.
Evidence emerges of Qatar and Spain-Portugal
collusion
February 2011
Blatter confirms that the Qatar and
Spain-Portugal World Cup bids colluded to trade votes in the contest for the
2018 and 2022 finals.
FA and Fifa at loggerheads
May 2011
Geoff Thompson endorses Sepp Blatter’s campaign
to retain the Fifa presidency despite having been chairman of England’s failed
World Cup bid. Telegraph Sport discloses that England football officials hired
a “corporate investigations” company to investigate their rivals during the
failed bid to host the 2018 World Cup. Six of Fifa’s executive committee are
accused in Parliament of “improper and unethical behaviour” during World Cup
bidding. Fifa demand the FA provide evidence to support allegations of corruption
and “unethical” behaviour against six executive committee members. Blatter vows
to complete the inquiry before presidential election. The FA reveal they will
hold independent inquiry into Lord Triesman’s allegations of corruption against
four Fifa executive committee members. The FA board agrees to abstain in the
forthcoming Fifa presidential election because of doubts over the probity of
both Blatter and his challenger Mohamed Bin Hammam. Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid
committee accuses Parliamentary committee of “insulting” behaviour as it
launches attempted fight-back against allegations of corruption leveled against
it. The FA call for the June 1 Fifa election to be postponed and for an
independent review of the world governing body’s structures.
Blatter runs for re-election
March 2011
Reports say the FA will support any challenger
to Sepp Blatter in forthcoming Fifa presidential election. Fifa presidential
challenger Mohamed Bin Hammam considers striking deal with Michel Platini that
would see him step aside in favour of the Uefa president after just one
four-year term if he is successful in his campaign to unseat Sepp Blatter.
Blatter promises to hand out $1 billion (£610,000) in “development” funds to
the 208 members associations that will decide his fate as president in the
forthcoming Fifa election.
Bin Hammam and Warner are suspended
May 2011
Fifa presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam
says Amadou Diallo, a Guinean national accused in Parliament of facilitating
bribes on behalf of Qatar’s World Cup bid, is a close friend of his but not
involved in any wrongdoing. Amadou Diallo, the man accused of facilitating
bribes on behalf of Qatar’s successful 2022 World Cup bid worked for Fifa for
at least six years as an advisor to Mohamed Bin Hammam, the governing body
confirms. It then emerges that Bin Hammam and Jack Warner, a Fifa
vice-president, are to face disciplinary action for allegedly offering bribes
to members of the Caribbean Football Union in exchange for votes in forthcoming
election. Fifa's ethics committee suspend the pair from all football-related
activity pending the outcome of a full inquiry into bribery accusations. Fifa
general secretary Jerome Valcke confirms that an email in which he made the
sensational allegation that Qatar "bought" the 2022 World Cup is
genuine after Warner, the recipient, reveals it to the press.
Qatar dismiss bribery claims
July 2011
The whistleblower in FIFA 2022 corruption
claims, Phaedra Almajid retracts her claims. Hassan Al-Thawadi, the
secretary-general of the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee, dismisses bribery
claims. He then outlines the nation's plans to construct air-conditioned
stadiums.
Telegraph reveals FBI investigation
December 2011
The Daily Telegraph reports that the FBI are
investigating alleged hacking into email accounts for England and America’s
World Cup bids.
Fifa launches investigation into corruption
practices
July 2012
Fifa employ American attorney Michael J. Garcia
to investigate allegations of corruption in world football. A month later,
Garcia declares his intention to investigate the bidding process and decision
to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar.
Blatter insists Qatar World Cup will be held in
the summer
March 2013
Blatter claims that Qatar will host the World
Cup in the June-July summer slot as planned, amid growing speculation it will
be moved to the winter.
Fifa begins to turn on itself
July 2013
FIFA executive committee member Theo Zwanziger
labels the decision to award Qatar the hosting rights of the 2022 Cup as a
"blatant mistake."
Blatter’s admission
August 2013
Blatter confirms that that the FIFA executive
committee will meet to decide on when the 2022 World Cup should be held, due to
Qatar's hot climate. He admits that playing the World Cup in the summer there
is "not rational and reasonable''. Blatter goes onto say that Fifa made “a
mistake” when appointing Qatar as the host nation for the 2022 World Cup.
Fresh bribery allegations emerge
June 2014
Millions of new documents are made public by
the Sunday Times, showing how bribes changed hands in order to secure Qatar the
2022 World Cup. Fifa claims it is taking the claims seriously.
Garcia report is blocked
September 2014
Garcia delivers his 350-page report, but
Hans-Joachim Eckert, the head of the adjudicatory arm of FIFA's ethics
committee, declares that it will not be made public for legal reasons. Instead,
Eckert reveals that he will produce a summary of the report ready for public
consumption by November 2014.
Eckert releases his summary and Garcia resigns
November 2014
Eckert makes public the 42-page summary of his
findings after reviewing the Garcia's report. The summary clears both Russia
and Qatar of any wrongdoing during the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World
Cups. Critics denounce Eckert’s summary as ‘a whitewash’, while Garcia
denounces it as "materially incomplete" with "erroneous representations
of the facts and conclusions". FIFA's Appeal Committee then dismiss
Garcia's appeal against the Eckert summary. Garcia resigns a day later, before
FIFA's executive committee agree to publish a "legally appropriate
version" of the Garcia report.
Sponsors withdraw from Fifa
January 2015
Following Sony and Emirates ending their
sponsorship contracts with Fifa, Castrol, Continental and Johnson & Johnson
withdraw as pressure mounts on Blatter to quit.
Blatter faces new challenger
January 2015
Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan announces
he will run against Blatter in May Fifa presidential elections. Later in the
month Greg Dyke announces that his bid has the FA’s support.
Telegraph reveals Warner was paid millions by
Qatari firm
March 2015
Documents show that the former Fifa
vice-president and his family were paid millions by a company controlled by a
former Qatari football official shortly after the country won its bid for the
2022 World Cup. Warner appears to have been personally paid $1.2?million
(£720,000), while payments totalling almost $750,000 (£450,000) were made to Mr
Warner’s sons. A further $400,000 (£240,000) was paid to one of his employees.
It’s a Winter World Cup
March 2015
Fifa confirm the Qatar World Cup will be held
in November and December 2022. Premier League clubs demand compensation for the
disruption.
Figo quits Fifa presidential race
May 2015
Former footballer Luis Figo withdraws from the
race, due to Blatter’s "dictatorship". He also claims to have seen
incidents that "should shame anyone who desires soccer to be free, clean
and democratic".
Fifa officials arrested in US corruption
investigation
May 2015
Dawn raids see six Fifa executives arrested in
Zurich, with 14 detained overall. The charges against those arrested include
fraud, racketeering and money laundering and relate to World Cup bids as well
as marketing and broadcast deals. Amongst those arrested are vice president of
the executive committee Jeffrey Webb of the Cayman Islands, Uruguay's Eugenio
Figueredo, who is also an executive committee vice president and until recently
was the president of South America’s football association and the notorious
Warner of Trinidad and Tobago, a former member of the executive committee who
has been accused of numerous ethical violations.
Continúe leyendo en: http://goo.gl/wlFBC4
Fuente: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
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