Lack Of Evidence, FIFA Ethics Commission Stops Infantino Case

FIFA President, Gianni Infantino (Instagram @ gianniinfantino_)

JAKARTA - The FIFA Ethics Committee has decided to end the case of its president, Gianni Infantino, who is facing an investigation in Switzerland for alleged collusion with the Swiss Attorney General.

"After examining documents and related evidence, the head of the investigative body decided to file a complaint and close the case due to the lack of evidence of alleged violations of FIFA's code of conduct," FIFA said in a statement quoted by Antara on Friday.

Infantino, who has been FIFA president since 2016, is being investigated by the Swiss Criminal Prosecutor for alleged collusion with Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber. It is known that Lauber resigned last month because he was involved in the investigation into the FIFA corruption case.

FIFA has conducted a preliminary investigation into Infantino following reports of alleged ethics violations. This included booking a private plane from Suriname to Geneva and his meeting with Lauber.

However, the independent judiciary found insufficient evidence to carry out further investigations.

"Based on the information available to date, there is no evidence of behavior that violates FIFA rules. Some aspects are not even included in FIFA's code of conduct, nor are they a reason for a temporary suspension," the statement said.

Infantino had previously insisted that he had nothing to hide, even though Swiss prosecutors conducted an investigation into him.

In a letter sent to 112 FIFA members, Infantino said that there was no basis for a criminal investigation against him.

Infantino and Lauber are said to have held a series of secret meetings in 2016 and 2017. However, he stressed that the meeting was just an attempt to restore public confidence in the institution he led after the scandal.

An anti-corruption lawyer representing Infantino said he believed the case would end.

Jean-Pierre Mean, an anti-corruption expert hired by FIFA in May, also said there was nothing wrong with having a meeting with a lawyer, even if informally.

"This is very common and not a criminal act," said Mean.