The former French president of UEFA is suspected of “complicity in mismanagement, embezzlement and forgery”.
Michel Platini now has the status of “accused”.
Keystone
The investigation opened in 2015 in Switzerland against Sepp Blatter for a payment without written trace of 2 million francs to Michel Platini was extended to the latter for suspicions of “complicity in mismanagement and embezzlement”, according to court documents consulted Friday by AFP.
In a letter dated June 5 and signed by the prosecutor Thomas Hildbrand, the federal prosecution decided to extend its investigation to Michel Platini, on suspicion of “complicity in mismanagement, embezzlement and forgery”. The former UEFA boss now has the status of “accused”.
Blatter heard on September 1
Contacted by AFP, neither Michel Platini nor his Swiss lawyer Vincent Solari had reacted Friday afternoon. For his part, Sepp Blatter indicated that he was summoned in this case by Mr. Hildbrand “to be questioned on September 1”. According to the former FIFA president, still suspended, Mr. Platini was summoned to court by Swiss justice on August 31.
Swiss courts had opened criminal proceedings in September 2015 against Sepp Blatter, the source of a controversial payment in 2011 of 1.8 million euros, without a written contract, to Platini, for an advisory work completed in 2002 .
“Le Monde” had revealed at the end of May 2018 a letter sent by a Swiss prosecutor to Platini’s lawyers, according to which “as it stands”, the present proceedings were “not conducted against” the former captain of The french team.
Several years of suspension
But this announcement had been tempered the next day by the Swiss Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPC), specifying that the proceedings against Blatter and in which Platini had been heard as an assisted witness was “not definitively finished”.
This suspicious payment of 2 million francs earned Blatter as well as Platini a suspension of several years, which prevented the former UEFA president from seeking the presidency of FIFA.
Platini’s suspension was confirmed by the Sports Arbitral Tribunal (CAS) which reduced it to four years, then by the Swiss Federal Court and finally by the European Court of Human Rights.
(AFP)
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