Former FIFA President Blatter and ex-UEFA President Platini charged with fraud
(VOVWORLD) -Switzerland's Office of the Attorney General (OAG) on Tuesday indicted former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and ex-UEFA President Michel Platini on charges of fraud over unlawfully arranging a payment of 2.19 million USD.
 Combination file photograph of FIFA President Sepp Blatter addressing a news conference at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland June 2, 2015 and UEFA President Michel Platini (R) attending the 65th FIFA Congress in Zurich, Switzerland, May 29, 2015. (REUTERS/Ruben Sprich) |
The indictment followed a six-year investigation into the payment that Blatter authorized to be paid from world soccer's governing body FIFA to Platini in 2011. The two former football officials have also been charged with mismanagement, forgery of documents and lack of responsibility.
The Swiss federal criminal court will decide whether to try these two men. Under the Swiss penal code, fraud for personal gain can result in a maximum sentence of five years in prison or a fine.