.jpeg)
Infantino declared a “full and clear victory” in the case
and demanded an apology from what he called the “envious and corrupt” people
out to tarnish his reputation.
A probe was opened in July 2020 to investigate suspicions of
collusion between Infantino and Switzerland’s then-attorney general Michael
Lauber, the country’s top prosecutor.
Lauber was in charge of Switzerland’s probe into the
towering corruption scandal that exploded at the heart of Zurich-based FIFA in
2015.
But he was forced to recuse himself from the investigation
in June 2019, following media revelations that he had held several undeclared
meetings with Infantino during the probe.
Two special prosecutors were assigned to the case, but in a
statement Thursday, they said the investigation had closed, with the
allegations refuted.
“The criminal proceedings… are discontinued,” the statement
said.
“The suspicion of instrumentalisation of the Office of the
Attorney General of Switzerland by FIFA has not been substantiated in the
course of the comprehensive investigation.
“On the contrary, the suspicion was refuted.”
In a statement, FIFA noted its “extreme satisfaction” with
the decision, saying the only surprise was how long it had taken to reach an
“obvious conclusion”.
“The new FIFA is today a clean, well-run and robust
organisation which operates in accordance with the highest ethical and
governance standards,” it declared.
For his part, Infantino, 53, said it was a “full and clear
victory for me, for the new FIFA and for justice”.
“It is now clear that the accusations against me were mere
attempts by poor, envious and corrupt people to attack my reputation. If these
people have some dignity left, they should at least have the decency and
apologise for their actions and the damage caused,” he said.
“Indeed and with no surprise, the investigation fully and
clearly confirms that I have always acted in a lawful and correct way, always
defending exclusively the interests of FIFA and football.”
AFP