Swiss judiciary: Blatter and Platini acquitted
Blatter and Platini.
AFP
Today, Friday, the Swiss judiciary acquitted the former heads of the International and European Federations, Swiss Joseph Blatter and French Michel Platini, in a case of fraud and forgery that destroyed their administrative career.
The Criminal Court in Plinzona did not agree to the Public Prosecution’s requests in mid-June to imprison Blatter (86 years) and Platini (67 years), with a suspended sentence of one year and eight months, on the grounds of defrauding the International Federation (FIFA) for Platini obtaining unjustified compensation of two million Swiss francs. 1.8 million euros) for consulting work for Blatter between 1998 and 2002.
Platini and Blatter signed a written agreement in August 1999 stipulating that FIFA would pay 300,000 Swiss francs annually, confirming that they had agreed by verbal contract to pay 700,000 Swiss francs annually, more when FIFA finances allowed it.
Platini, the three-time European Player of the Year award in the eighties who held the presidency of the European Union (between 2007 and 2015) and was aspiring to the presidency of FIFA, presented a bill of 2 million Swiss francs (1.8 million euros) at the beginning of 2011, which Blatter signed and presented to FIFA as a credit. Late for the salary, while the Public Prosecution considered it false.
The two men who sought acquittal alleged political and judicial manipulation aimed at removing them from power.
During the investigation and two weeks of hearings, the defense sought to introduce the possibility of a possible behind-the-scenes role for current FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who was Platini's right-hand man at FIFA, and then was unexpectedly elected to the FIFA presidency at the beginning of 2016, after a historic corruption scandal and the waste of hundreds of millions of money from dollars to the officials of the football organization.
It is noteworthy that the International Federation and the European Union are based in Switzerland, in Zurich and Nyon, respectively.
Blatter joined FIFA in 1975 and became Secretary-General in 1981 and then head of the largest football organization starting in 1998. In 2015 he was forced to give up his position and suspended eight years, which was reduced to six, for violating the rules of ethics.
As for Platini, who is considered among the most prominent players in the history of football, in turn, he was subjected to an eight-year ban, which was reduced to four by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
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