CONMEBOL accuses ex-presidents of money laundering

Asuncion (AFP) – The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) on Tuesday formally accused two of its ex-presidents of money laundering, forgery and other criminal charges it lodged with Paraguayan prosecutors.

It said in a statement on its website that it was pressing charges against Nicolas Leoz and Eugenio Figueredo. Both have been indicted in the United States as part of the far-reaching corruption investigation into world football.

CONMEBOL said its legal unit had informed the heads of its 10 football associations of the legal action in Paraguay, where its headquarters is based.

It accused Leoz and Figueredo of damaging its finances through “abuse of trust, appropriation, money laundering, production of unauthentic documents, and criminal association.”

CONMEBOL’s current president, Alejandro Dominguez, a Paraguayan who took over last year, in April told AFP that the body had lost more than $140 million to graft under former managers.

The sum was revealed in an external audit covering the years 2000 to 2014.

Investigations indicated officials had pocketed millions of dollars in bribes for awarding sponsorship and marketing contracts.

Figueredo and Leoz have been kept under house arrest, pending investigations.

They are among nearly 40 international officials detained in the so-called “FIFA-gate” scandal.

South American football officials have been heavily implicated in the US-led investigation into corruption in world football which led to the downfall of FIFA president Sepp Blatter in 2015.