Britain's Serious Fraud Office Dir David Green said that the SFO has received new information about money laundering "as part of its investigation" into FIFA, according to MacLellan, Holton & Evans of REUTERS. The SFO said in May that it was "examining information relating to possible corruption at the governing body" after the U.S. charged FIFA officials with fraud, bribery and money laundering. Giving an update on the U.K. investigation to a committee of British lawmakers, Green said that the agency "was still examining issues around possible money laundering but that he did not think it could examine FIFA under bribery laws." Green: "We are still examining issues around possible money laundering. I can't yet go into detail about that but there are several aspects to it and some new information has come to us quite recently" (REUTERS, 10/27). In London, Owen Gibson reported Green also confirmed that one of the transactions under scrutiny was a £301,000 payment to "disgraced" former FIFA VP Jack Warner from the Australia 2022 bid committee "that may have been routed through London." Green said, "I cannot confirm the assertion that money went through London -- it certainly started off in Sydney and appears to have ended up in Trinidad. It could be money-laundering, yes. Whether the money came through London is important. There are outstanding matters which touch upon money-laundering. There are a number of matters we are still looking at and digging into." Under tough questioning from MPs over why the SFO "had not been more aggressive" in pursuing FIFA corruption, Green said that information received so far "did not meet the required level to begin a criminal investigation" (GUARDIAN, 10/27). In London, David Brown reported Green highlighted the refusal of FIFA and foreign authorities to "hand over information about corruption in the bidding process" for World Cups. He said that the FBI is "refusing to hand over" recordings made by Chuck Blazer, an American former member of the FIFA exec committee, during meetings with other members of the "FIFA family" in London in July and Aug. '10. Green said that FIFA has "also refused to hand over a copy of an investigation it ordered" into the bids for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments by Michael Garcia, an American lawyer. He added that the SFO could investigate FIFA's corporate sponsors under new anti-bribery laws, "but only for allegations" since '11 (LONDON TIMES, 10/27).
DEMPSEY ACCUSED: STUFF reported former German FA (DFB) President Theo Zwanziger "has thrown his weight behind claims that a bribe was paid" to former Oceania football boss Charles Dempsey to help Germany win the 2006 World Cup. The Scottish-born New Zealander, who died in '08, was a "central figure in the controversial vote" in '00 which awarded the tournament to Germany. Zwanziger has provided German newspaper Bild with a Swiss court document, which he believes shows $250,000 was paid to Dempsey on the eve of the vote. The document came from the trial of execs from collapsed Swiss sports marketing company ISL. Dempsey was not named on the document, "which showed the money was transferred to an anonymous person" referred to as "E16." Zwanziger is adamant "E16" was Dempsey -- but did not "give evidence to back up his claim." Dempsey denied accepting a bribe, telling journalists at the time he had been threatened by "influential European interests" that if he voted for South Africa there would be "adverse effects" for Oceania (STUFF, 10/28).
