A little-known criminal case in Uruguay is hindering US efforts to prosecute a top official charged in the wide-reaching investigation into corruption at world soccer body FIFA.
In an unexpected turn of events, Swiss authorities on Christmas Eve extradited former FIFA vice president Eugenio Figueredo, arrested in Zurich in May at the request of US prosecutors, to his native Uruguay instead of to the US.
The ruling is a setback for the US Department of Justice, who had requested Figueredo’s extradition to New York to face a series of charges, including racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering. He is one of 41 people and entities charged in a US investigation into US$200 million in alleged bribes and kickback schemes tied to the marketing of major soccer tournaments and matches around the globe.
Figueredo’s attorneys successfully argued to Swiss justice officials that an earlier 2013 Uruguayan case pending against him should take precedence over the US case.
In making its decision, the Swiss Federal Office of Justice concluded the US and Uruguayan cases involved similar bribery allegations and also took into consideration Figueredo’s advanced age and medical problems, according to a Dec. 18 order.
Figueredo, 83, is suffering from neurological problems, his lawyer said, without giving further details.
In Uruguay, he is accused of fraud and money laundering, according to a preliminary order issued by a judge on Dec. 24. Those charges could carry jail sentences of more than two years.
After Figueredo is tried and punished in Uruguay, he should then be extradited to the US, according to the order by Judge Maria de los Santos.
However, Figueredo’s attorney said that such an extradition would be highly unlikely, given his age and state of health.
In the US, he could face a maximum jail term of 20 years if convicted on the corruption-related charges.
A spokeswoman for the US Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, which is handling the FIFA corruption case, declined to comment.
Figueredo is now in jail in Uruguay after a brief hospitalization and has asked to be placed under house arrest.
Swiss authorities arrested nine FIFA officials in two raids this year on the luxurious Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich. So far, four have been extradited to the US and four are still fighting extradition.
Figueredo is the only defendant so far who has been extradited to a country other than the US.
In August, the US blocked an attempt by Julio Rocha — currently detained in Zurich — to be extradited to his home country of Nicaragua.
“Everyone is going to learn from the Swiss decision and try to make their renewed requests fit very neatly with the logic that the Swiss found to support Figueredo going back to his country,” said Michael Pasano, an attorney representing other defendants in the case.
The US is also pressing for the extradition of other defendants still in their home countries in Latin America and contending with local rules that can prevent citizens from being sent abroad to face charges.
Figueredo’s US attorney, David Torres-Siegrist, said his client would not have gotten a fair trial in the US because of the high-profile nature of the case.
The US was demanding US$15 million in bail — half in cash and half in properties — from Figueredo, a price tag he could not meet, Torres-Siegrist said.
“There are all sorts of advantages to being back in your own country, both political and legal,” Pasano said.
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