Takkas seeks separate trial in FIFA corruption case
Costas Takkas
(CNS): Former Cayman Islands football official Costas Takkas, who was netted in the massive FIFA corruption scandal alongside his former colleague, Jeffery Webb, and numerous other regional football officials, is attempting to get a separate trial. According to international sports media reports, Takkas is one of eight defendants who have denied the allegations and are due to be tried together in November, but his attorneys and several of the other defendants will be applying for their cases to be severed.
The case was mentioned in a Brooklyn court Monday when Assistant US Attorney Evan Norris also revealed that prosecutors are still in talks with some of the defendants over possible guilty pleas. “We are in ongoing plea discussions with several of these defendants,” Norris said.
He told the court that so far, prosecutors have turned over than 10 million pages of evidence gathered in the probe to the defendants and new evidence continues to come in. Just last week Swiss authorities provided another two dozen binders of documents relating to the allegations.
The men are among the 42 individuals and organisations charged so far in the massive US probe involving more than $200 million in bribes and kickbacks, which were allegedly sought and received by the soccer officials and market executives in relation to promotions, tournaments and broadcast rights.
To date, 16 people and two sports marketing companies have pleaded guilty to charges, including Jeffery Webb, the former president of the Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA) and the regional body, CONCACAF, as well as a former FIFA VP. The former George Town banker, who is currently under house arrest in Atlanta on a $10 million bond, is due to be sentenced in November for the crimes he has admitted.
Takkas, who was arrested in May 2015 in Zürich, is currently set to be tried with former FIFA officials and executive committee members Jose Maria Marin of Brazil, Juan Angel Napout of Paraguay, Eduardo Li of Costa Rica and Julio Rocha of Nicaragua, as well as Miami-based sports marketing executive Aaron Davidson, Hector Trujillo, a judge from Guatemala and ex-official with its soccer federation, and ex-Venezuelan soccer official Rafael Esquivel.
Category: Crime
Bring our boys home! We’d like to have a word with them.
Just wonderin’ here:
So far as I have seen, Takkas’ charges are perhaps somewhat lesser than many of the others in this group – namely he solicited a bribe for Jeff Webb, and laundered some of Webb’s ill-gotten gains, but that’s about it. So he no doubt doesn’t wish to be tried and sentenced as a part of a job-lot, as if convicted his sentence is likely to be influenced by the others’ acts.
We so far haven’t heard what his piece of the action was – could it really have been he just wanted to be involved at the forefront of the sport he loved and didn’t receive any FIFA graft? I mean, “Attache to …” as a job description sound like “Please Jeff please Jeff let me come too…………………..” .
I’m wondering therefore if perhaps he arrived late at the trough and hadn’t actually got his snout in properly before the FBI kicked it over and showed up this unholy mess. If so, he might not have too rough a ride.
Separate the trials, plea bargain and then give evidence against the rest for sentence plea. Can see where this one is going.
Jeff has already done this! He was the 1st man snarled by the Justice Department/FBI. He’s been comfortably living as a benefit of his plea & cooperation. His sentencing will come a year before any of the others will ever see a court room (trial). Jeff essentially pled his way to as close to as freedom, as possible.
Perhaps the US Law Enforcement now has a clearer picture, coroberated by evidence, of what sort of mischief these crooked FIFA Officials & their Business Associates were up to these past 2 decades – Jeff Webb included!
PS. I took the U.S. to nip this sort of racketeering in the bud, as the Cayman Islands only look at their situation or lifestyle as a bunch of men clever enough to know how to get rich, and live accordingly. A skill of “cleverness” that should be applauded, while dismissing the illegal nature of their transactions or resulting wealth.
“Land of the free, Home of the brave”
Takkas may or may not get his wish; but, the FIFA trial has been set to begin November 2017.
Go get’em USDOJ! #USA
Bunch of crooked mobsters operating under the pretense of doing good for football all around the world.
May they all go to prison and be stripped of their ill gotten wealth. I honest believe there is a special place in Hell for all of them.
It makes one wonder if at $20/page, will there be any money recovered for the game?!?
No Costas you were all in it together, you all go to trial together.
Anyone know what is happening to CIFA. There is still no Webbsite ( ha) and it looks like business as usual.
CREED, CREED, CREED as simple as that. It is one of the deadliest sins. These characters, including Webb, should have no mercy / pity shown upon them and when found guilty should face the maximum prison terms afforded to them.
Here is an example that clearly illustrates that Sports are overrated and monies should be used for the betterment of mankind as a whole and not just to line the pockets of select few.
What about all our local football and political leaders who were in cahoots with Webb.?
They knew what was happening to the moneyand did nothing, they are guilty too.
I am almost certain that they too are under scrutiny.
The U.S. has a stop-and-frisk policy ?; I meant, a. stop-and-interrogate policy at various ports of entry. There is no politician (or otherwise) involved in FIFA/CIFA that will simply enter the U.S. like Diplomats.
“Christmas time is coming, Christmas time is coming,…” (Singing).
Did you mean Greed? That’s creed spelled with a G instead of a C
I thought it was the church people checking to see if we had any gay football teams.