|
 The move marks the start of a legal process expected to last several
months during which the officials, who have been in jail since being
detained on U.S. arrest warrants in May, will either keep fighting
extradition to the United States or agree to go.
The arrests of the seven, including two then-members of FIFA's
executive committee, took place in a raid on a luxury Zurich hotel
on May 27, two days before FIFA's annual congress, pitching the
organisation into turmoil.
U.S. prosecutors say their investigation - which is running parallel
to a separate Swiss inquiry - exposes complex money laundering
schemes, millions of dollars in untaxed incomes and tens of millions
in offshore accounts held by FIFA officials.
The seven were among 14 people charged in cases involving more than
$150 million in bribes over a period of 24 years. Those being held
in Switzerland include Jeffrey Webb, the former president of FIFA's
Americas confederation CONCACAF, and Eugenio Figueredo, who sat on
the executive at the time of their arrest.
The FOJ said it would rule on the extradition requests within a few
weeks, based on statutory hearings and the responses of the FIFA
officials.
A Swiss lawyer for one of the seven defendants who have challenged
their extradition told Reuters on condition that neither he nor his
client would be identified that he received a brief notification of
the U.S. request for extradition from Swiss judicial authorities,
but had no details on its contents.
"It is an extradition request for trial (in the United States). The
trial will be the actual evidence proceedings."
LAWYERS SCRAMBLING
However, international lawyers will be scrambling to arrive in
Switzerland in coming days to join their local defence counsel to
review documents and coordinate strategy, he said.
He expected the legal process to last until early or mid-August. His
client was not negotiating any plea bargain in the United States,
the Swiss lawyer said.
[to top of second column] |
"Now lawyers will come in from all over the Western world," he said,
adding that he expected his U.S. counterparts to arrive in
Switzerland in coming days.
"We need to make translations and coordinate."
The U.S. Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request
for comment outside business hours.
Under a bilateral treaty, U.S. authorities had up to 40 days to file
an extradition request -- by July 3. All seven of the officials had
previously said they would contest extradition.
Proceedings under the treaty are relatively straightforward, even if
the defendants have the right to appeal along the way, legal experts
say.
If the FOJ orders extraditions, defendants may appeal to
Switzerland's Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona.
The detainees were provisionally banned by FIFA's own ethics
committee following the arrests. FIFA has said that it is
cooperating with the investigation.
A Swiss court last month rejected one official's request to be
released on bail, citing the risk he might flee.
(Additional reporting by David Ingram in New York; Editing by
Michael Shields and Mark Heinrich)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
