A criminal case concerning the elections of host countries of FIFA World Cup 2018 and 2022 was opened in Switzerland. This was reported at the website of the Office of the Prosecutor General of the country. Ten members of the executive committee of the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) which chose Russia and Qatar to host the World Cups 2018 and 2022, respectively, in 2010, will be interrogated.

The investigation is conducted on the articles about abuse of office and money laundering. The employees of the Swiss Prosecutor’s Office seized the data and documents contained in the IT-systems of FIFA that will be entered into the case file. Nine FIFA officials were arrested on charges of corruption in Zurich on Wednesday, May 27.

The process of arrest took place in one of the five star hotels of the city. The investigation was initiated by the US authorities, all the arrested may be extradited to this country to conduct investigative actions. The presidential elections of FIFA were scheduled for Friday, May 29.

The amount of bribes in the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) has made up more than $ 10 billion over 19 years.

This was announced by the US Prosecutor General Loretta Lynch, as Tass reports. According to her, the amount of bribes received during preparation for the America’s Football Cup 2016 amounted to about $ 110 million.

Lynch noted that the arrest of the representatives of FIFA in Zurich was the result of a long investigation. The Prosecutor General clarified that they were accused of racketeering, money laundering, fraud ongoing for 20years.

It has also become known that the six members of FIFA accused of corruption agreed to return $ 150 million of illegal profits. A total of 14 people are defendants in the case. The US investigators consider them guilty of the conclusion of illegal transactions with the mass media, influencing judges and other crimes.