Geneva (AFP)
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter expressed his relief after his fourth and final day of hearing in Zurich in the case of the suspicious payment which also threatens Michel Platini, his spokesperson said on Thursday.
The prosecutor's decision is expected in the "next few weeks," Thomas Renggli told AFP.
The final step before the end of this investigation opened in 2015 against the two men, the hearing, which began on Monday, took place in the offices of the federal prosecutor in Zurich, where the headquarters of Fifa is located.
"It's over. Now Mr Blatter is relieved. He's glad it's over. It was tough for him this week, mentally and physically," his spokesperson said.
Due to his state of health, Blatter, 85 and hospitalized last December and January for major heart surgery, could only be interviewed 90 minutes a day, although due to protocol he spent all four mornings at the prosecutor's office.
"At the end of the hearing, his lawyer, Lorenz Erni, said (to the courts, Editor's note) that it is time to stop molesting Mr. Blatter," said Mr. Renggli.
This case, which shattered the careers of the two most powerful men in world football, concerns the payment by Fifa of 2 million Swiss francs (1.8 million EUR) to the French triple Ballon d'Or in early 2011, without justification. written, by order of Blatter.
Mr. Blatter's hearing had been delayed for several months by his state of health.
According to the prosecution, the Penal Code provides that "in important and complex proceedings, accused persons are heard one last time before the end of the investigation and invited to express themselves on the results thereof".
Blatter is being prosecuted for "suspicion of fraud, breach of trust and unfair management", while the criminal proceedings against Platini are carried out for "suspicion of fraud, participation in breach of trust, participation in unfair management and false in the titles ".
Platini had been heard one last time in mid-March.
He is now awaiting the decision of the public prosecutor's office, which could either pronounce a dismissal or pave the way for a trial before the Federal Criminal Court of Bellinzona.
Former UEFA president Michel Platini appeared at the office of the Attorney General of Switzerland for a hearing on the corruption case that concerns him on March 15, 2021 Fabrice COFFRINI AFP / Archives
Blatter and Platini hammer out relentlessly that this is a balance of payment for an advisory job carried out by the French between 1999 and 2002.
Fifa, led since 2016 by Gianni Infantino, deplores for its part the absence of a written contract mentioning at the time such remuneration, and demands Platini to reimburse the 2 million Swiss francs.
© 2021 AFP