As the FIFA scandal develops into an international issue, South Africa’s government has come forward and is now denying that they paid a $10 million bribe to fix the 2010 World Cup. This new revelation was revealed after a letter claimed that officials were seeking an indirect route for transfer. South African government officials say they do not dissent the letter, because it was a legitimate payment.
They stated the money transfer was originally to fund a project for the African diaspora in the Caribbean. Moreover, they condemn the way in which South Africa’s Mail and Guardian depicted them in the incident, saying their report was non-factual, “regurgitation and sensation.” Danny Jordaan, then-South Africa FA, wrote the letter in 2007, three weeks before the first payment.
According to U.S. prosecutors, the $10 million payment was a clear bribe to FIFA officials. Last week, seven FIFA officials, including two of the vice presidents, were taken into custody to appear in front of FIFA’s governing body.
Furthermore, the investigation found that the officials took money and other forms of bribes in upwards of $150 million dollars over a period of at least 24 years. One of those arrested, ex-FIFA officials Chuck Blazer, has pleaded guilty to charges of accepting the bribes. “[It was] the government’s idea,” he added.
By Alex Lemieuux
Source:
BBC News: Fifa crisis: ‘Ex-President Mbeki signed off on South Africa’s $10m’
Photo Courtesy of Celso FLORES’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
