FILE PHOTO: Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber attends his yearly news conference in Bern, Switzerland April 20, 2018. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
May 10, 2019
ZURICH (Reuters) – The watchdog overseeing Swiss federal prosecutors has requested an independent disciplinary investigation into Attorney General Michael Lauber over private meetings with the head of the global soccer body FIFA, the broadcaster SRF reported on Friday.
Lauber’s office has been investigating several cases of suspected corruption involving FIFA, based in Zurich, dating back to 2014 and the presidency of Sepp Blatter. The criminal probe treats FIFA as a victim rather than a suspect.
Lauber has put on record two meetings with current FIFA president Gianni Infantino, saying they were intended to help coordinate his investigation.
But media reports of a third meeting prompted a preliminary investigation by the Supervisory Authority for the Office of the Attorney General, which said Lauber had denied having any other such meetings while in office.
The Authority declined comment ahead of a statement due later on Friday. Lauber, who later said he did not recall the third meeting but that it must have occurred, scheduled a news conference for 1330 GMT.
The Swiss parliament is due to decide next month whether to re-appoint Lauber to his position.
(Reporting by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
