Swiss prosecutors say FIFA work continues after boss recused

By: The Associated Press Posted: 10:33 AM CDT Wednesday, Jun. 19, 2019 Last Modified: 10:33 AM CDT Wednesday, Jun. 19, 2019

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BERN, Switzerland - The Swiss federal prosecution office says most criminal proceedings in its five-year FIFA investigation will continue unaffected by the attorney general being recused.

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BERN, Switzerland - The Swiss federal prosecution office says most criminal proceedings in its five-year FIFA investigation will continue unaffected by the attorney general being recused.

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This article was published 19/06/2019 (2640 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BERN, Switzerland – The Swiss federal prosecution office says most criminal proceedings in its five-year FIFA investigation will continue unaffected by the attorney general being recused.

The office says a task force including prosecutors, forensic financial analysts and federal police is working on the investigations.

Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber was removed from involvement in at least 25 open proceedings Tuesday by a federal criminal court ruling.

FILE - In this Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2018 file photo, Switzerland's attorney general Michael Lauber briefs the media at a news conference in Bern, Switzerland. Switzerland’s federal criminal court on Tuesday, June 18, 2019 says it recused attorney general Michael Lauber from overseeing a sweeping criminal investigation of FIFA officials. Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who has been a criminal suspect since September 2015 yet never charged, tells The Associated Press: “Now I got part of my trust and confidence in the Swiss justice back.” (Peter Schneider/Keystone via AP, file)

The court upheld requests by two people it did not identify, who are implicated in FIFA cases, to remove Lauber because of three undeclared meetings he had with FIFA President Gianni Infantino in 2016 and 2017.

Lauber was criticized for not taking notes, and the unusual step of meeting Infantino in places such as bars and restaurants. He is the subject of an internal disciplinary case.

The prosecution office says deputy attorney general Jacques Rayroud now oversees the investigations.

No charges have been filed in the investigation which began in November 2014 after FIFA filed a criminal complaint about suspected money laundering in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding contests.