Switzerland has already seized apartments in the Alps and several other assets as part of a FIFA corruption probe, according to Yahoo! News. Then investigation into the FIFA bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup began in May when the U.S. Justice Department unsealed records showing charges against 14 people accused of bribery and corruption inside the sport of world football (soccer).
Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber was with U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch when he said the investigation is nowhere near finished. "We are not even near the half-time break," he said," he said.
Last June, FIFA ethics chief Dominic Scala said that Russia and Qatar, the host countries or the FIFA 2018 and 2022 World Cups, could be stripped of hosting rights if there is any evidence of bribery within the bidding process.
The U.S. and Switzerland are both conducting their own investigations into the bidding procedures. FIFA is based in Zurich, Switzerland, according to The Christian Science Monitor. The U.S. Department of Justice has already announced charges against 14 soccer and marketing officials.
"Separate and apart from the pending indictment, our investigation remains active and ongoing. It has in fact expanded since May. The scope of our investigation is not limited and we are following the evidence where it leads...We do anticipate pursuing additional charges against individuals and entities," Lynch said, according to The Guardian.
"We made it abundantly clear once again that prosecutors around the world will stand together in order to root out corruption and bring wrongdoers to justice - no matter where they are, no matter how complex their crimes and no matter how powerful they may be," she added.
