Swiss to extradite Esquivel, Trinidad agrees to give up Warner

Jack Warner

(CNS): Jack Warner and Rafael Esquivel are both now facing extradition to the United States in the massive FiFA bribery and corruption investigation after both the Trinidad and Swiss authorities agreed to the American request. Warner (72), who was Jeffrey Webb’s predecessor as CONCACAF president, is accused of accepting millions of dollars in bribes in the football scandal. He has denied the allegations and is fighting the extradition attempt from his native Trinidad.

Meanwhile, the Swiss have approved the process to send Rafael Esquivel to the US. The former Venezuela Football Federation president was among seven men arrested in May, two days before the FIFA presidential election in Zürich.

His extradition follows the departure of Cayman’s Jeffrey Webb (50), who agreed to extradition in July and who was then released on $10 million bail bond and is currently under house arrest at one of his Georgia homes. Eugenio Figueredo (83), a Uruguay FIFA official, was also cleared for extradition last week by the Swiss. It is not yet known if he will appeal.

Four more officials are still detained in Switzerland awaiting decisions on their extradition: Jose Maria Marin of Brazil, who headed the 2014 World Cup organizing committee; Eduardo Li of Costa Rica; Julio Rocha, a FIFA development staffer from Nicaragua; and Costas Takkas, a British aide to Webb.

In total, 14 football and marketing officials were indicted in the alleged racketing scandal revealed by US Attorney General Loretta Lynch in May but that number is expected to increase. Lynch said last week during a press briefing in Zürich she expects further charges to be made in the expanding case.

While Sepp Blatter, the FIFA president, remains a prime suspect in the media, Lynch has refused to comment on whether or not he will be caught in the widening net.