After the announcement on Tuesday evening that the proceedings had been suspended until April 20 due to the extraordinary situation against the background of the coronavirus, it is clear that the case will expire. Because it would have taken a decision by the Federal Criminal Court by April 27, so that this case would not come true. That has now become practically impossible. Even if the state of emergency was proclaimed until April 19.
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The reasons for the suspension: The accused all belong to the Corona risk group because of their age. The three former SFB officials Theo Zwanziger (74), Wolfgang Niersbach (69) and Horst R. Schmidt (78) as well as the ex-Fifa general secretary Urs Linsi (70). In addition, some of them had relevant previous illnesses, so that they could not be expected to take part in the main trial, the court said.
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And the Federal Criminal Court could not conduct an absentee trial, as was originally planned in the event that one or more of the accused would not appear in Bellinzona. “A trial in absentia can only take place if the accused has had sufficient opportunity in the previous procedure to comment on the crimes they are accused of and the evidence allows a judgment without their presence,” stated the Federal Criminal Court. “That doesn’t seem to be the case.”
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So the trial will probably end in a debacle unparalleled for Federal Attorney Michael Lauber. The case in which a dubious repayment of a loan with fraud allegations in the amount of CHF 10 million, which the then World Cup 2006 boss Franz Beckenbauer had taken up and which the DFB repaid through FIFA, would have been the Swiss showcase process should. Now he is a pipe crusher for Lauber. Already the next one after the ruffle by the supervisory authority of the federal prosecutor. This committee under the former government councilor of Zug, Hanspeter Uster (Greens), had reduced Lauber’s wages because of the ominous meetings with Fifa boss Gianni Infantino, because he acted disloyal and allegedly told the untruth.
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