FIFA leader arrested in Switzerland extradited to US

One of the seven FIFA officials in detention in Switzerland since their arrest on March 27 has been extradited to the United States, the Swiss Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP), announced on Thursday.

In a brief statement, authorities reported that the detainee left Switzerland on Wednesday accompanied by three US air marshals who escorted him to New York, reports Efe.

The person was not named, but earlier reports said Cayman Islands official Jeffrey Webb had previously rejected simplified extradition shortly after his arrest, the FDJP explained, but in a hearing held last week the suspect agreed to be handed over to the U.S. judiciary.

The statement did not specify which of the seven detainees has been extradited, while FDJP also said last week that the detainee had requested that his name not be disclosed.

The officials were arrested in late March while in Zurich to attend the annual FIFA Congress, and included Uruguayan FIFA vice president Eugenio Figueredo, presidents from the football federations of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, an official from the Cayman Islands and executive members of the South American soccer confederation and other regional sports bodies, among others.

To avoid the risk of collusion, the seven officials were detained separately.

The extradited suspect stands accused by the New York prosecutor of having received millions in bribes from companies in exchange for the marketing rights of soccer events, including regional and continental championships in North and South America.

On July 1, the US judiciary formalised the extradition request for the seven senior FIFA officials.

If the Swiss authorise the extradition of any or all of the remaining detainees, those affected will face two higher courts of appeal: the Federal Criminal Court and the highest judicial body in Switzerland, the Federal Supreme Court. The entire process could take up to six months.