PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi charged with a criminal offence by the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland

The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) has charged Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi with a criminal offence, AS reports. The 46-year-old is among three people charged, including the former general secretary of FIFA Jerome Valcke and another businessman.

Al-Khelaifi reportedly gave Valcke “undue advantage” while the former FIFA official is charged with accepting those favours. This was before he was suspended from FIFA and then banned for 12 years from the association. A press release from the OAG confirmed those charges and provided other details into the whole saga.

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Al-Khelaifi allowed Valcke to stay rent-free in a villa in Sardinia

Al-Khelaifi has been charged by the OAG over his role in the manipulation of the broadcasting rights of the World Cup by Valcke. The disgraced former FIFA general secretary is accused of accepting bribes to give certain parties unfair advantage over media rights distribution for the elite tournament as well as the Confederations Cup in Italy and Greece, for the period extending from 2018 to 2030.

Breaking: PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi charged with criminal offences in Switzerland, for giving ‘undue advantages’ to ex FIFA gen-sec Jerome Valcke, who is charged with ‘aggravated criminal mismanagement’ and accepting bribes. pic.twitter.com/Xoau649ywv

— David Conn (@david_conn) February 20, 2020

The PSG president apparently purchased a villa in Sardinia through a company and then allowed Valcke to use the villa for 18 months without paying rent, which is estimated to be between €900,000 to €1.8 million.

Valcke had not informed FIFA that he was receiving such privileges, as he was required to do. As a result, he has been accused of “unlawfully enriching himself”. On the other hand, Al-Khelaifi is charged with “corresponding incitement”.

There were also suspicions that Valcke had accepted a luxury watch from Al-Khelaifi as a token of appreciation for exerting his influence as the FIFA general secretary, but those charges could not be established and as a result, have been abandoned.

The OAG will now appear before the Federal Criminal Court (FCC) to file an indictment and after the filing process is complete, further updates regarding the case will be provided by the FCC.

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