+ A
A -
Tribune News Network
Doha
Nasser al Khelaifi said on Thursday he expected to be cleared of all corruption charges brought by Swiss prosecutors investigating the attribution of football broadcasting rights.
Khelaifi, who is the Chairman of beIN Media Group, said Swiss prosecutors had already dropped charges in connection with the 2026 and 2030 World Cups.
“While a secondary technical charge remains outstanding, I have every expectation that this will be proven completely unfounded and without any substance whatsoever, in the same way as the primary case,” he said in a statement.
“After an exhaustive three-year investigation, where I have fully and openly cooperated with the Public Prosecutor in Switzerland, I am pleased that all charges of bribery in connection with the 2026 and 2030 World Cups have been dropped. As I have said vehemently and repeatedly for three years, the charges have not – and have never had – any basis whatsoever, either in fact or law. It is now – finally – indisputable fact that the 2026 and 2030 agreements were negotiated at arms-lengths and without any improper influence in any form. After the most forensic public, private, lawful and unlawful scrutiny of all my dealings, I have been cleared of all suspicions of bribery and the case has been dismissed definitively and conclusively.”
The Swiss attorney general’s office (OAG) said in a statement on Thursday that Khelaifi and former FIFA former secretary-general Jerome Valcke had been charged “in connection with the award of media rights to various World Cup and FIFA Confederations Cup tournaments.”
“While I have cooperated with all authorities during the legal process, the three-year investigation has been characterised by constant leaks, misinformation and a seemingly relentless agenda to smear my reputation in the media – completely irrespective of the facts and the notion of due process. For that reason, I have requested the relevant Swiss authorities to open a criminal enquiry into the conduct of the investigation. I also reserve the right to take action against certain media who for three years have repeatedly published factually-unsupported and highly damaging articles, often based on illegally-sourced and – quite remarkably in some cases – faked and fabricated materials, to satisfy their narrative of my supposed guilt,” the statement added.
Doha
Nasser al Khelaifi said on Thursday he expected to be cleared of all corruption charges brought by Swiss prosecutors investigating the attribution of football broadcasting rights.
Khelaifi, who is the Chairman of beIN Media Group, said Swiss prosecutors had already dropped charges in connection with the 2026 and 2030 World Cups.
“While a secondary technical charge remains outstanding, I have every expectation that this will be proven completely unfounded and without any substance whatsoever, in the same way as the primary case,” he said in a statement.
“After an exhaustive three-year investigation, where I have fully and openly cooperated with the Public Prosecutor in Switzerland, I am pleased that all charges of bribery in connection with the 2026 and 2030 World Cups have been dropped. As I have said vehemently and repeatedly for three years, the charges have not – and have never had – any basis whatsoever, either in fact or law. It is now – finally – indisputable fact that the 2026 and 2030 agreements were negotiated at arms-lengths and without any improper influence in any form. After the most forensic public, private, lawful and unlawful scrutiny of all my dealings, I have been cleared of all suspicions of bribery and the case has been dismissed definitively and conclusively.”
The Swiss attorney general’s office (OAG) said in a statement on Thursday that Khelaifi and former FIFA former secretary-general Jerome Valcke had been charged “in connection with the award of media rights to various World Cup and FIFA Confederations Cup tournaments.”
“While I have cooperated with all authorities during the legal process, the three-year investigation has been characterised by constant leaks, misinformation and a seemingly relentless agenda to smear my reputation in the media – completely irrespective of the facts and the notion of due process. For that reason, I have requested the relevant Swiss authorities to open a criminal enquiry into the conduct of the investigation. I also reserve the right to take action against certain media who for three years have repeatedly published factually-unsupported and highly damaging articles, often based on illegally-sourced and – quite remarkably in some cases – faked and fabricated materials, to satisfy their narrative of my supposed guilt,” the statement added.
