WASHINGTON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The United States declined comment on Tuesday over whether it has investigated former FIFA president Jack Warner about the disappearance of money he raised for the Haiti earthquake.
Warner is among nine FIFA officials and five corporate executives charged by the U.S. Department of Justice with running a criminal enterprise that involved more than $150 million in bribes. FIFA is the global body governing football.
The BBC reported late Monday that Warner visited Haiti in 2010 and raised $750,000 from FIFA and the Korean Football Association to help Haiti victims.
U.S. investigators allege that Warner directed the money for his “personal use” into bank accounts that he controlled, according to the BBC, which said it had seen U.S. documents.
“Our office declines to comment at this time,” Nellin McIntosh, press officer for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the eastern district of New York, which is leading the Justice Department’s FIFA investigation, said by email.
In the FIFA case, prosecutors say Warner solicited bribes worth $10 million from the South African government to host the 2010 World Cup and diverted bribes for personal use.
Warner has said he is innocent. He surrendered to authorities in Trinidad and Tobago, and was released on bail on May 29 while the United States seeks his extradition.
Warner could not immediately be reached for comment on the Haiti allegations.
(Reporting by Stella Dawson, Editing by Alisa Tang.)