FIFA to Question 16 Caribbean Officials in Bribery Scandal

Soccer’s world governing body FIFA has asked its ethics committee to probe 16 Caribbean soccer officials in connection with the bribery scandal involving Qatari ex-presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hammam.

The 16 are suspected of accepting cash bribes in return for giving their backing to Bin Hammam in FIFA’s presidential election. They are also accused of denying the corruption attempt to investigators.

“The FIFA Ethics Committee has today opened ethics proceedings against 16 Caribbean Football Union (CFU) officials in regard to apparent violations of the Code of Ethics connected to the investigation of the cases related to the special meeting of the CFU held in Trinidad & Tobago on 10 and 11 May 2011,” said FIFA.

Bin Hammam, who was found guilty of bribery last month, is expected to appeal the verdict against him.

FIFA has said that suspects include Colin Klass of Guyana, a long-standing ally of former Caribbean football official Jack Warner.

Mr Klass has been provisionally suspended from all soccer-related activities by FIFA’s Ethics Committee “after consideration of specific information received on the matter”.

The other officials named are David Hinds, Mark Bob Forde (Barbados), Franka Pickering, Aubrey Liburd (British Virgin Islands), David Frederick (Cayman Islands) and Osiris Guzman, Felix Ledesma (Dominican Republic).

The list is made up of Noel Adonis (Guyana), Yves Jean-Bart (Haiti), Anthony Johnson (St. Kitts and Nevis), Patrick Mathurin (St. Lucia), Joseph Delves, Ian Hypolite (St. Vincent and the Grenadines), Richard Groden (Trinidad and Tobago) and Hillaren Frederick (US Virgin Islands)

“It is important to note that the investigations are still ongoing, and that it is therefore possible that further proceedings could be opened in the future,” FIFA added.