Swiss Supreme Court Upholds Acquittal of PSG President in FIFA TV Rights Case
The highest court in Switzerland has confirmed the acquittal of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) president Nasser al-Khelaïfi, closing a significant chapter in a legal saga concerning former FIFA secretary general Jérôme Valcke and the allocation of World Cup broadcasting rights.
While the charges against Al-Khelaïfi were dismissed, Jérôme Valcke faced a different outcome in a separate case. His conviction for bribery and forgery linked to World Cup media rights deals in Italy and Greece stood firm.
Al-Khelaïfi faced allegations over a luxury villa in Italy, allegedly used by Valcke, which prosecutors argued was linked to beIN Media Group securing a $480 million World Cup rights deal. However, three Swiss courts have now ruled in favor of Al-Khelaïfi, deeming no misconduct in the agreement. This marks his third acquittal over similar charges in a five-year span.
In response to the verdict, Al-Khelaïfi’s attorney, Marc Bonnant, stated, “From the outset, this has manifestly been a ‘trophy-hunting’ prosecution by the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland — but today, that pursuit is over.”
Valcke, who was dismissed from FIFA in 2015 and subsequently banned from soccer due to widespread misconduct, received a different judgment on other charges unrelated to Al-Khelaïfi. He was convicted again for forgery and accepting kickbacks during negotiations for World Cup broadcast rights in Italy and Greece.
In addition, Greek marketing executive Dinos Deris had his conviction for active corruption confirmed by the supreme court. Both Valcke and Deris received suspended sentences of 11 and 10 months, respectively.
The proceedings combined appeals from the federal prosecution office and those by Valcke and Deris, with the supreme court requesting a lower court to re-examine financial penalties. The case’s investigation began in 2017, had its first hearing in 2020 at the federal criminal court, and retrials at the federal appeals court occurred in 2022.
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