On 1 July 2015, the Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) in Switzerland received a formal request from the United States to extradite seven FIFA officials, arrested on corruption charges on 27 May 2015. The FOJ press release is here.
The seven FIFA officials are among 14 defendants sought in relation to a 47-count US indictment based in the Eastern District of New York, on charges of racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies. All 14 defendants deny any wrongdoing.
The US requests were received within 40 days, in compliance with Article 13 of the 1990 extradition treaty between the United States and Switzerland. The officials have 14 days to respond to the request. A 14-day extension may be granted if “sufficient grounds” exist.
The FOJ will then rule on extradition within a few weeks. This is open to appeal before the Federal Criminal Court, a right that is expected to be exercised by all seven individuals. This decision is then open to further appeal, before the Federal Supreme Court.
The seven FIFA officials are: Jeffrey Webb, Eduardo Li, Julio Rocha, Costas Takkas, Eugenio Figueredo, Rafael Esquivel, and José Maria Marin.
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