Geneva, July 2 (IANS): The United States Justice Department has sent extradition requests to Swiss authorities for seven world football governing body (FIFA) officials, held in detention in Switzerland for five weeks.
The formal request to the Swiss Federal Justice Office arrived on Wednesday, the office confirmed in a statement on Thursday, reports Efe.
The extradition concerns the senior FIFA officials along with entrepreneurs and companies involved with the sport governing body that were implicated in a corruption network that saw the payment of more than $100 million in bribes.
"On July 1 2015, the U.S. Embassy in Bern submitted the formal extradition requests within the deadline laid down in the bilateral extradition treaty," according to the Swiss Justice Office statement.
According to New York prosecution investigations, seven senior FIFA officials received bribes worth millions of dollars from sports media and commercial enterprises representatives in exchange for broadcast rights, marketing and sponsorship of soccer tournaments in the United States and Latin America.
"These crimes are thought to have been agreed and prepared in the USA, and payments were allegedly routed through U.S. banks," the Swiss Justice Office noted, explaining why the US Justice Department decided to pursue the case.
In the coming days, the seven defendants may be presented before the Zurich state police regarding the request for extradition.
After their arrest on May 27 in Zurich, where they were attending the annual FIFA Congress, six of the leaders refused to accept voluntary extradition and one other accepted and then changed his mind.
Once the detainees have been heard by the police, they and their lawyers will have 14 days to take a final position.
That deadline can be extended for an additional 14 days, but only for exceptional reasons.
Swiss justice authorities will then decide, based on the extradition requests, detainee testimonies and their positions, whether or not to grant extradition.
If extradition is approved, there will still be two senior appellate courts, the Federal Criminal Court and the Federal Supreme Court, the highest judicial body of Switzerland.