FIFA probe unveils evidence of money laundering, suspicious activity: prosecutors

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FIFA probe unveils evidence of money laundering, suspicious activity: prosecutors

The Associated Press Published Sunday, July 12, 2015 12:14PM EDT

Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Issa Hayatou, left, South African President Jacob Zuma, center, and FIFA President Sepp Blatter applaud ahead of the African Cup of Nations final soccer match in Johannesburg, South Africa on Feb. 10, 2013. (AP / Themba Hadebe)

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BERN, Switzerland -- Swiss federal prosecutors have new evidence of 28 acts of possible money laundering linked to FIFA's 2018 and 2022 World Cup bid contests.

The office of Switzerland's attorney general says it now has 81 "suspicious activity reports" filed by banks in the country.

Attorney-General Michael Lauber said last month his team had 53 suspicious incidents to study in a "huge and complex case."

Swiss prosecutors are working with a separate United States probe of racketeering and bribery implicating senior FIFA officials.

Though Lauber's case focuses on the 2018-2022 contests won by Russia and Qatar, respectively, he said it could include other FIFA business.

His office says Sunday that all new reports "are related to the (attorney general's) investigation into the allocation of the football World Cups 2018 and 2022."