Former president of FIFA Sepp Blatter and Former UEFA president, Michel Platini, have been indicted for fraud in Switzerland on Tuesday, according to the country’s attorney general.
Both men have been accused by the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) of unlawfully arranging a payment of 2 million Swiss Francs (current value US $2.19 million) from FIFA to Platini, CNN reports.
The alleged offense which was revealed by the attorney general in an online statement stated that “between 1998 and 2002, Michel Platini worked as a consultant for the then FIFA President Joseph Blatter.
“In 1999, an annual compensation of CHF 300,000 [current value US $328,000] was agreed upon in a written contract for this advisory activity. This written contract was signed by both Blatter and Platini. The compensation agreed in accordance with this contract was invoiced by Platini on each occasion and paid in full by FIFA.”
More than eight years after, specifically, in 2011, after his advisory contract ended, “Platini demanded a payment in the amount of CHF 2 million. With Blatter’s involvement, FIFA made a payment to Platini in said amount at the beginning of 2011.
“The evidence gathered by the OAG has corroborated that this payment to Platini was made without a legal basis. This payment damaged FIFA’s assets and unlawfully enriched Platini,” the statement says.
