Argentines Hugo and Mariano Jinkis, sought by US in FIFA investigation, surrender
Thursday 18 June 2015 22:14, UK
Two Argentine businessmen wanted on US charges of bribing FIFA officials have handed themselves in to authorities in Buenos Aires, according to the justice ministry.
Father and son marketing executives Hugo and Mariano Jinkis, the owners of sports marketing company Full Play, are among the 14 football officials and marketing executives indicted by the United States on May 27 on charges of racketeering and corruption.
US prosecutors say the pair, together with another Argentine Alejandro Burzaco, conspired to win and keep lucrative media rights contracts by paying tens of millions of dollars in bribes.
Burzaco turned himself in to police in Italy last week.
Jinkis and his son appeared early Thursday before a federal judge in Buenos Aires and will remain in detention while the US request for their extradition is considered.
Argentine news agency Telam reported the men and their lawyers stated their intention to fight a U.S. extradition order and requested house arrest rather than jail while they do so.
Full Play held the TV rights to the South American World Cup qualifying matches and is accused of bribing FIFA officials for multi-million-dollar contracts.
The company also co-owns the broadcast rights to the Copa America, the South American football championship currently being played in Chile, with Torneos y Competencias -- run by Burzaco -- and TrafficSports USA, run by Aaron Davidson, who was arrested in Switzerland last month.
Meanwhile, Belgium may seek compensation over the £3.2m (€4.5m) spent on their unsuccessful 2018 World Cup bid if FIFA's decision to award the finals to Russia is found to be fraudulent.
Swiss authorities have opened a criminal investigation into alleged corruption over the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar.
Belgian Football Federation chairman Francois de Keersmaecker told Het Nieuwsblad: "If fraud is proven it is obvious to me that we will seek compensation.”
The country made a joint bid with the Netherlands that cost £6.4m (€9m).
Flemish government sports minister Philippe Muyters told the same newspaper that fraud still needed to be proven.
"But if it was the case, we will, with our partners, look to proceed with a claim," Muyters said.
The executive committee of world soccer's ruling body FIFA chose Russia ahead of the Belgian-Dutch bid, a joint bid from Portugal and Spain, and one by England.
