Lausanne (AFP)
The investigation opened in 2015 in Switzerland against Sepp Blatter for a payment without a written trace of 2 million Swiss francs to Michel Platini has been extended to the latter for suspicions of "complicity in mismanagement and embezzlement", according to court documents consulted Friday by AFP.
In a letter dated June 5 and signed by the prosecutor Thomas Hildbrand, the federal prosecution decided to extend its investigation to Michel Platini, on suspicion of "complicity in mismanagement, embezzlement and forgery". The former UEFA boss now has the status of "accused".
Contacted by AFP, neither Michel Platini nor his Swiss lawyer Vincent Solari had reacted Friday afternoon.
For his part, Sepp Blatter, contacted by AFP, said that he was summoned in this case by Mr. Hildbrand "to be questioned on September 1". According to the former president of Fifa, still suspended, Mr. Platini was summoned to him by Swiss justice on August 31.
Swiss courts had opened criminal proceedings in September 2015 against Sepp Blatter, the source of a controversial payment in 2011 of 1.8 million euros, without a written contract, to Platini, for an advisory work completed in 2002 .
Le Monde had revealed at the end of May 2018 a letter sent by a Swiss prosecutor to Platini's lawyers, according to which "as it stands", the present proceedings were "not conducted against" the former captain of the French team.
But the announcement was tempered the next day by the Swiss public prosecutor (MPC), clarifying to AFP that the procedure against Blatter and in which Platini had been heard as an assisted witness was "not definitively finished".
This suspicious payment of CHF 2m earned both Blatter and Platini a suspension of several years, which prevented the former UEFA president from running for the presidency of Fifa.
Platini's suspension was confirmed by the Sports Arbitral Tribunal (CAS) which reduced it to 4 years, then by the Swiss Federal Court and finally by the European Court of Human Rights.
© 2020 AFP