Ex-FIFA Secretary General Valcke handed suspended jail term
October 30, 2020
Former FIFA number two Jerome Valcke was convicted by a Swiss court on Friday in a corruption case, while the president of Paris Saint-Germain, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, was acquitted.
Valcke was found guilty on the lesser change of forging documents linked to World Cup broadcasting deals in Italy and Greece, for which he was handed down a 120-day suspended sentence and ordered to pay world football's governing body €1.75 million ($2 million) in restitution.
Both Valcke and Al-Khelaifi were accused of a "corrupt agreement."
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Valcke, 60, was alleged to have sought the help of Al-Khelaifi, the chairman of BeIN Sports, to buy a luxury residence in Sardinia. At the time BeIN was in talks with FIFA over the extension of its media rights in North Africa and the Middle East for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups.
PSG president happy to have 'cleared' his name
Al-Khelaifi released a statement via his lawyer shortly after the federal court's verdict.
"After a relentless four-year campaign against me that ignored the basic facts and the law at every turn — I have finally, fully and completely cleared my name. Today's verdict is a total vindication," Al-Khelaifi said.
"It restores my faith in the rule of law and in due process, after four years of baseless allegations, fictitious charges and constant smears of my reputation."
Al-Khelaifi had been accused of inciting Valcke to commit aggravated criminal mismanagement.
jsi/rt (AFP, AP, Reuters)