Gianni Infantino caught in Panama Papers storm as Swiss police raid Uefa for contracts signed by new Fifa president
Storm clouds gathering over new Fifa president Gianni Infantino have darkened after Swiss police raided European governing body Uefa in relation to the Panama Papers leak.
Former Uefa secretary general Infantino, who succeeded tarnished Fifa kingpin Sepp Blatter in February, co-signed a contract with two Argentinian businessmen in 2006 who have since been accused of bribery by the FBI.
Read more: Who is Gianni Infantino?
Paperwork relating to that deal was among 11m documents leaked from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca this week and Swiss police searched Uefa’s Nyon offices to examine the contract.
Infantino has denied any wrongdoing and Uefa says it has handed over all relevant files.
The deal under scrutiny is Uefa’s sale of television rights for the Champions League from 2006 to 2009 to Cross Trading, owned by Hugo Jinkis and his son Mariano Jinkis, for $110,000.
Cross Trading is alleged to have immediately sold the rights on for $311,000 to Ecuadorean company Teleamazonas.
Hugo and Mariano Jinkis were indicted in the United States as part of far-reaching investigations into allegations of corruption that contributed to the departure of Blatter.
Read more: Who leaked the Panama Papers?
“Uefa can confirm that today we received a visit from the office of the Swiss Federal Police acting under a warrant and requesting sight of the contracts between Uefa and Cross Trading/Teleamazonas,” it said.
“Naturally, Uefa is providing the Federal Police with all relevant documents in our possession and will cooperate fully.”
The Swiss Office of the Attorney General said its “criminal proceedings are in connection with the acquisition of television rights and are at present directed against persons unknown, meaning for the time being no specific individual is being targeted by these proceedings.”