(MENAFN- Swissinfo)
Valcke has been found guilty of further offences relating to the award of football media rights. ©ti-press
Former FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke has been handed an 11-month suspended prison sentence after being found guilty of accepting bribes and forging documents in connection with World Cup football broadcasting deals.
This content was published on June 24, 2022 - 17:51 June 24, 2022 - 17:51 swissinfo.ch/mga
Valcke had been cleared of the more serious offence of briberyExternal link in 2020 but the Swiss Court of Appeal has dealt out a more severe custodial sentence together with a fine after finding the French national guilty. Valcke was cleared of a yet more serious offence of aggravated criminal mismanagement in his former role as the second most senior official at world football's governing body.
Prosecutors, who had brought the appealExternal link , had demanded a 35-month sentence against Valcke.
Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, president of the French football team Paris St Germain and the beIN Media company, was acquitted of related corruption charges, the appeals court announced on Friday after hearing two separate cases into the allegations. This ruling upholds a not guilty verdict of the lower court in 2020.
A third defendant, a Greek businessman, was handed a 10-month suspended sentence after being found guilty of offering bribes.
The cases revolved around allegations that Valcke was given rent-free use of a holiday home on an Italian island with Al-Khelaïfi's help.
The Court of Appeal found that FIFA was not financially damaged by the dishonest activities as it would not have been able to secure a more advantageous media rights deal that it struck with beIN.
Valcke, who served as FIFA Secretary General from 2007 to 2015, is currently serving a 10-year ban from all football related activities.
The appeals court verdict could be challenged in the Supreme Court.
In a separate case also being heard in Switzerland, ex-FIFA head Sepp Blatter and the former boss of European football, Michel Platini, are facing allegations of corruptionExternal link . The verdict is this case is expected next month.
MENAFN25062022000210011054ID1104431071
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.