Fifa President Sepp Blatter: corruption allegations
The Guardian newspaper in London reports that Mr Garcia – who was selected ahead of early favourite for the role, Argentine human rights lawyer Luis Moreno Ocampo -- was unanimously appointed along with German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert to lead the investigation into corruption claims which have rocked the organisation.
Kickback allegation
One of Mr Garcia’s first hurdles will be to inspect a court document on a World Cup kickback allegation – scrutinising the behaviour of FIFA president Sepp Blatter and other senior officials.
‘He will have ... the duty to have this case analysed on ethic, moral matters and then to report back to the executive committee,’ Mr Blatter told a news conference, according to the newspaper.
Mr Garcia – who headed the 20,000-strong Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agency in the Department of Homeland Security under President George W Bush -- will also have the power to reopen old cases, including allegations of vote-buying during the selection of hosts for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Lifetime ban
Meanwhile, FIFA’s lifetime ban against Mohamed Bin Hammam has been annulled by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, according to Eurosport.
The ban was imposed by FIFA’s ethics committee last year when Mr Hammam was found guilty of paying bribes to Caribbean officials while campaigning against Mr Blatter for the presidency of the organisation.
The arbitration court did not find Mr Hammam not guilty, but the Qatari’s appeal was upheld on the grounds of a lack of evidence. FIFA may launch fresh proceedings if new evidence is produced.
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