Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

Swiss launch criminal probe of German soccer great Beckenbauer

September 01, 2016 18:33 IST

Swiss federal prosecutors are investigating soccer great Franz Beckenbauer and three other German soccer officials for fraud and money laundering in connection with the award of the 2006 World Cup to Germany, authorities said on Thursday.

"The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has opened criminal proceedings in connection with the German Football Association (DFB). The suspects were members of the executive board of the organising committee for the 2006 World Cup in Germany," it said in a statement.

It named them as Beckenbauer, Horst Rudolf Schmidt, Theo Zwanziger and Wolfgang Niersbach.

The Attorney General's office said it was working with counterparts in Germany and Austria and that simultaneous searches for evidence were conducted in eight locations on Thursday.

IMAGE: Franz Beckenbauer

Photograph: Tobias Schwarz/Files/Reuters

Source: REUTERS
© Copyright 2024 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.