Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini acquitted on charges of defrauding FIFA
Updated On: 08 July, 2022 03:33 PM IST | Mumbai | AP
The case was centered around a $2 million payment from FIFA to Platini with Blatter`s approval in 2011, for work done a decade earlier
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Michel Platini and Sepp Blatter. Pic courtesy/AFP. Source/PTI
Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini were acquitted on charges of defrauding FIFA by a Swiss criminal court on Friday, a rare positive outcome for the pair who were among soccer`s most powerful figures before being embroiled in corruption investigations. The case was centered around a $2 million payment from FIFA to Platini with Blatter`s approval in 2011, for work done a decade earlier. The verdict followed an 11-day trial last month at the Federal Criminal Court of Switzerland in Bellinzona.
Following the decision of the judges of the Court of Bellinzona, this morning, I wanted to express my happiness for all my loved ones that justice has finally been done after seven years of lies and manipulation, Platini said in a statement. "The truth has come to light during this trial. I kept saying it: my fight is a fight against injustice. I won a first game. In this case, there are culprits who did not appear during this trial. Let them count on me, we will meet again. Because I will not give up and I will go all the way in my quest for truth."
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Swiss prosecutor Thomas Hildbrand had requested a 20-month suspended sentence for both Blatter and Platini. Blatter announced his plan to resign early as president, in June 2015, in the fallout from a sprawling American corruption investigation ending his 17-year reign. A separate but cooperating case by Swiss prosecutors led to the Platini payment being investigated.
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