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 Switzerland is responding to years of corruption allegations with
a set of laws which have become known as "Lex FIFA" that aim to
tighten oversight of the approximately 60 sporting bodies based
here.
Swiss lawmakers voted 128 to 62 in favor of revising a broader bill
designed to fight money laundering, based on guidelines set up by
the intergovernmental Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
The bill now includes wording saying FIFA head Sepp Blatter and
other sports executives such as International Olympic Committee
President Thomas Bach should be treated as "politically exposed
persons" - a term justice officials use to define those in positions
that could be abused to launder money.
Bach, who on Monday pushed through sweeping reforms Olympic bidding,
said he welcomed the measures "wholeheartedly."
 The IOC will audit its accounts to higher standards than legally
required of the organization as well as provide a yearly finance
report, including the allowance policy for all IOC members, Bach
said.
FIFA was not immediately available for comment on the bill, which
now goes to Swiss government to be written into law.
This would by necessity increase financial scrutiny of sports
officials because Switzerland's banks are legally required to ensure
funds are not of suspicious origin before they accept them.
The broader money-laundering guidelines aim to keep Switzerland,
which in May said it would do away with banking secrecy by joining
the growing ranks of countries agreeing to share tax information,
off FATF blacklists.
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Transparency campaigners have said that Switzerland's anti-money
laundering laws do not go far enough. For example, no substantial
checks are currently required on cash purchases at the many luxury
shops, art dealers and jewelers that dot the high streets of cities
such as Geneva and Zurich.
The campaign to increase oversight of major sports bodies has been
led since 2010 by lawmaker Roland Buechel, who says he is concerned
that negative headlines around these organisations are tarnishing
Switzerland's image.
Sports bodies like the IOC and FIFA enjoy a privileged existence in
Switzerland. As non-profit associations, they pay a far lower tax
bill than private-sector corporations.
That legal status puts organizations such as FIFA, which posted
nearly $1.4 billion in revenue last year, on an equal footing with
community projects, for example.
(Reporting by Ruben Sprich in Berne and Katharina Bart and Caroline
Copley in Zurich, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
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