The investigation opened in September 2015 in Switzerland against the ex-president of the International Football Federation (FIFA) Sepp Blatter for an alleged unfair payment of 2 million Swiss francs (1.8 million euros) paid, in 2011 , to Michel Platini, has been extended to the latter. The decision was made by the federal prosecution and served in a letter dated June 5, signed by the prosecutor Thomas Hildbrand and revealed by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Contacted by The world, the public prosecutor of the Swiss Confederation (MPC) confirms that "Criminal proceedings" targeting Mr. Blatter "Was laid against former UEFA president Michel Platini on suspicion of participating in unfair management and on suspicion of forgery in the titles".
In May 2018, The world had revealed that Mr. Platini's lawyer, Me Vincent Solari, had received a letter from the prosecutor Cédric Remund indicating to him that the criminal procedure was not directed in the state against his client, heard as witness assisted three years earlier. In May, the MPC assured the World that he " born (led) no criminal proceedings against Mr. Platini yet. "
Sepp Blatter has announced that he has been summoned to this case by Mr. Hildbrand "To be questioned on 1er September ». The former FIFA president, still suspended, said that Mr. Platini was summoned by Swiss justice on August 31.
The Crown confirms that "As part of this criminal procedure, various hearings are planned at the premises of the MPC in Bern during the third quarter of 2020".
Sepp Blatter: "This case comes under civil law"
"I’m not afraid for myself or for Mr. Platini in this civil, but not criminal, case, entrust to World Mr. Blatter. This payment was made as a backlog of wages (for the period when Mr. Platini was acting as advisor to Mr. Blatter, between 1998 and 2002) on which social security contributions have been deducted. "
“The MPC confirmed in writing in May 2018 to my lawyer that this file dating from 2015 was closed as far as I am concerned. I have no reason to think that Prosecutor Hildbrand has a different view, reacted Mr. Platini. I have complete confidence in Swiss justice. I stand at his disposal once again and am completely serene. "
"After five years, it is quite possible that FIFA will continue to harass me through complaints for the sole purpose of being able to stay out of football and tarnish my reputation. Currently in very bad shape, FIFA’s best defense against me is to attack, ” adds Mr. Platini.
"My advice will contact the prosecutor in order to have access to all the information and the file of which I do not know, at the moment, the content", assures the ex-number 10 of the Blues who filed, in 2018, a complaint against X for association of criminals and slanderous denunciation. This complaint, deemed admissible in October 2019 by the Paris public prosecutor's office, was transmitted to the Federal Department of Justice and Police of the Swiss Confederation.
Who communicated the contract to Swiss justice?
Mr. Platini asked who provided the Swiss authorities with the information regarding this payment. In September 2015, the MPC had in its possession the written contract signed in 1999 between Mr. Blatter and Mr. Platini. The document, signed by the two men, established a remuneration of 300,000 Swiss francs per year to be paid to the French.
This payment of 2 million Swiss francs, which was the subject of an invoice sent by Mr. Platini in January 2011 to FIFA, earned Mr. Blatter as well as the ex-player a suspension of several years pronounced by the FIFA ethics committee.
This expiration in October 2019 prevented the former UEFA president from running for the presidency of FIFA in 2016. He was replaced by his right-hand man at UEFA, Gianni Infantino, elected to the head of the organization and renewed for a second term in June 2019.
In April, The world had revealed that the Supervisory Authority of the Swiss public prosecutor's office estimated, in a report, that a magistrate friend of Mr. Infantino, the first prosecutor of Haut-Valais, Rinaldo Arnold, had sought to glean judicial information, in July 2015, to the Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber, on Michel Platini and Sepp Blatter.
Platini's suspension was confirmed by the Sports Arbitral Tribunal (CAS) which reduced it to four years, then by the Swiss federal court and finally by the European Court of Human Rights in March.
"Gianni Infantino could have lifted Michel Platini's suspension before his term because he had only been heard as an assisted witness, annoys Mr. Blatter. This shows Mr. Infantino’s bad spirit and bad intentions towards Mr. Platini. This character does not deserve to be the head of a federation like FIFA. "
When contacted, FIFA did not wish to comment. In December 2019, she assured that she had filed a complaint against Mr. Blatter and against Mr. Platini in order to have this sum of 2 million Swiss francs returned.
