A former Credit Suisse banker is among three people charged with fraud by Switzerland's prosecutor in an investigation over Germany's hosting of the 2006 World Cup.
The Swiss attorney general is charging Urs Linsi, a Swiss banker and sports functionary, with fraud, it said in a statement on Tuesday. The former Credit Suisse veteran and three other men – Horst Rudolf Schmidt, Theo Zwanziger, and Wolfgang Niersbach, all former football functionaries in Germany.
The charges against Linsi and the three men are the result of peeling off an investigation into Franz Beckenbauer, German former pro football player-turned-manager. Lindi, Schmidt, and Zwanziger are accused of fraud, while Niersbach will face charges he was complicit in the fraudulent scheme.
Illicit Money Flows?
The investigation centers on an allegedly illicit $10 million money flow between commodities billionaire Robert Louis-Dreyfus, former FIFA functionary Mohammed Bin Hammam, who was banned from the world's soccer governing body for life in 2012, and Beckenbauer.
The attorney general said it couldn't identify the reason for the money transfers, as Bin Hammam's native Qatar refused to cooperate. Louis-Dreyfus died in 2009. Beckenbauer is too ill for questioning, though he reportedly still makes public appearances.
Credit Suisse Woes
The charges for Linsi and the German football officials comes shortly before a statute of limitations lapses in April. Linsi's top role at FIFA was secretary-general under former president Sepp Blatter. He was let go from the role in 2007, reportedly with a $7 million kiss-off.
Prior to joining FIFA in 1999, Linsi spent more than 20 years at Credit Suisse. The Swiss bank was rebuked by Switzerland's regulator for failing to spot money laundering involving FIFA and two other high-profile cases. Linsi was also on the board of Bank Sparhafen, but quietly left the Swiss regional lender last May. He is currently vice-chairman of Airesis, a sports investment firm.
