The Swiss judiciary acquits the Qatari Al-Khulaifi, the “victor”, in a corruption case

Bellinzona (Switzerland) – The president of the French club Paris Saint-Germain and the Qatari media group BN, Nasser Al-Khulaifi, were acquitted this Friday by the Swiss justice of a case of corruption in relation to the television broadcasting rights of the World Cups in 2026 and 2030, which the influential businessman considered an attack on his reputation and praised a “real victory”.

On the other hand, former secretary general of the French International Federation of FIFA, Jerome Valcke, avoided going to prison by receiving a 120-day suspended sentence for a secondary charge.

In the first case to be concluded in Switzerland within the International Federation (“FIFA”) corruption scandal, the Prosecutor’s Office accused Falk of obtaining exclusive use from Al-Khulaifi of a luxury villa on the Italian island of Sardinia, in exchange for its support to obtain the “BN” network of television broadcasting rights. For the 2026 and 2030 World Cups in the Middle East and North Africa regions.

Meanwhile, Al-Khelaifi, one of the most influential figures in the world of football, was charged with “inciting Falk to commit serious criminal mismanagement” and unfair administration.

They were heard for ten days in September, in addition to the Greek businessman, Dinos Deris, who did not appear in court for health reasons, before the Prosecutor’s Office demanded that al-Khulaifi be imprisoned for 28 months, Falk three years and Dereis 30 months , with a partial suspension of execution for each of them. .

Federal Attorney General Joel Baho summarized the accusations of Falk, who was arrested for practicing any football activity, seeking to obtain money to ensure a “wasteful” lifestyle, while recalling that Al-Khulaifi had acquired “Villa Bianca” for five million euros, through a company that almost immediately became the brother of a close confidant, before making him available to Falk, who acknowledged his request for help from Al-Khulaifi to obtain the villa before signing the contract in April 2014.

– ‘Unfounded accusations’ –

Al-Khulaifi issued a statement after the verdict, saying: “After four years of unfounded accusations, false accusations and a continuous assault on my reputation, I have been completely acquitted by justice. Today’s ruling is a true victory. It confirms that I have always adhered to strict respect for the law and procedures. “

“I have always relied on justice, actively cooperating with it for many months, to reject these baseless accusations. In all my duties, I will continue to expend all my energy in the service of sport, especially at this time when it is necessary to mobilize all forces live in this industry. “

This was the first request for imprisonment on European soil in the multiple scandals that rocked world football in 2015, after many former South American and US officials were convicted and jailed.

– Special clearance –

The three judges of the Bellinzona Federal Criminal Court dropped most of the charges, leaving only a 120-day sentence for Falk, suspended for “fraud” in a case unrelated to al-Khalifi.

The current Judicial Power, like the Prosecutor’s Office, estimated that Falk supported the BN network in exchange for a luxurious villa that Al-Khulaifi acquired for five million euros through a company that was almost immediately transferred to the brother of a close relative, before it was made available to the former right-hand man. To the President of FIFA Switzerland, Joseph Blatter.

Falk and Al-Khulaifi denied in court any “corruption agreement” between them, highlighting that the matter is related to a “private” agreement that has nothing to do with the contract between BN Sports and FIFA in April 2014.

And both described the agreement with FIFA as “golden” and even “high”, since BN Sports paid 480 million euros for the transfer of the two world championships, 60% more than the value it paid to transfer the 2018 editions and 2022, when he was the only candidate in the race to get the broadcast rights.

However, the Public Ministry confirmed that regardless of this, Falk should have informed FIFA about the village, and that is why the president of BN Sports paid him to harm FIFA, two fouls related to “mismanagement” and “incitement” to this violation.

Falk was also tried in a lawsuit related to television rights in Greece and Italy, for receiving 1.25 million euros in three installments from Dinos Deris.

– No harm to FIFA –

However, contrary to the opinion of the prosecution, the court held that it was “difficult to believe” that the settlement around Villa Bianca occurred “in a strictly private context”, considering that there is a connection with the rights obtained by ” beIN “.

The judiciary could not indict “private corruption” as the International Federation withdrew its complaint in January after an agreement with Al-Khulaifi was not announced, leading to the automatic removal of this charge under Swiss law. .

The accusation of “unfair management” is upheld, requiring proof that the agreement between the two harmed FIFA. But the court clarified that “nothing indicates that FIFA had received a more beneficial contract” than the one it signed with “beIN”.

Al-Khulaifi’s defense lawyers continued to describe the case as “artificial”, designed by the Prosecutor’s Office “in an attempt to save his file”, after he was forced to drop the “corruption” charge against Al-Khulaifi after the agreement with FIFA.

This case was considered a milestone in Switzerland, where most of the international sports federations are based, and where a score of investigations focused on FIFA were opened five years ago.

Last April, the Federal Criminal Court was forced to close a trial that began in March for accusations of corruption in the granting of rights to the 2006 World Cup in Germany, which involved “czar” Franz Beckenbauer. It was first postponed due to the Covid-19 virus and then declined over time.