A new part in the machine. Whereas Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini were acquitted on July 8, the corruption case, which targets the former number 10 of the French football team and the ex-president of Fifa, could experience a new twist, as one might expect. The Public Ministry of the Confederation (MPC), confirmed to AFP, by email, having announced on Friday July 15 its intention to challenge the decision of the Federal Criminal Court of Bellinzona.
“This is not a preliminary decision. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office will rely on the written reasons for the decision of the Federal Criminal Court to decide on the way forward.“, underlines the email, specifying that the prosecution will not give additional information for the moment.
The 67-year-old Frenchman and the 86-year-old Swiss appeared in June over a controversial payment of 2 million Swiss francs (1.8 million euros) made by Fifa to Michel Platini. The prosecution had requested a sentence of one year and eight months in prison against the two men.
Defense and prosecution agreed on one point: the triple Golden Ball advised Sepp Blatter well between 1998 and 2002, during the latter’s first term at the head of Fifa. For this work, the two men signed a contract in 1999 agreeing to an annual remuneration of 300,000 Swiss francs, fully paid by FIFA. But in January 2011, the former midfielder, who in the meantime became UEFA President (2007-2015), “asserted a claim of 2 million Swiss francs“, qualified as “false invoice“by the prosecution.
The two men insist that from the outset they decided on an annual salary of one million Swiss francs, via a “gentlemen’s agreement” oral and without witnesses, but the finances of Fifa did not allow the immediate payment to Mr. Platini.
On leaving the court on July 8, the ex-captain of the Blues had estimated to have “won a first game”, while once again alluding to political and judicial manipulation intended to remove him from power. “In this case, there are culprits who did not appear during this trial. Let them count on me, we’ll meet again“, he launched.
Michel Platini has in particular in his viewfinder Gianni Infantino, his former right-hand man at UEFA elected in 2016 at the head of Fifa, against whom he filed a complaint for “active influence peddling”. The Italian leader has been targeted since 2020 by a separate procedure for three secret meetings with the former head of the Swiss prosecution.