FIFA ethics prosecutors are now looking into the possibility of imposing a life-long ban on two South American Football officials who pleaded guilty on the accounts of corruption during a US federal investigation.
FIFA ethics officials said they are already done with their investigation against former CONMEBOL executives Luis Bedoya of Colombia and Sergio Jaude of Chile, who resigned last November as a member of the prestigious football organization, as reported by Yahoo.
According to the prosecutors, both men are still considered innocent until FIFA ethics judges will rule on the case. The judges, however, will still look into the six charges made against both former executives before making any final decision.
Bedoya and Jaude pleaded guilty to the charges of racketeering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy last December in relation to the advocacy of FIFA to end corruption in the association, according to ESPN. Both men are also facing charges of bribery and conflict of interest.
According to the indictment details from the US Department of Justice, they found out that Bedoya and Jaude receive six figured bribe payments from the tournaments broadcasting rights every year. These payments are given to both executives through an Argentinian agency for the Copa Libertadores. Bedoya received the payments from 2010 while Jaude's payments started from 2012.
Bedoya agreed to return all the money he received which was deposited in his Swiss bank accounts while Jaude will forfeit his accounts that were held in the US. According to Eye Witness News, if found guilty of the charges, both former Colombian and Chilean Football Association executives could be banned for life in any football-related activities.
To date, 41 football marketing officials and companies have been indicted by the US authorities related to the ongoing investigation on corruption.
