New York, Mar 9 (EFE).- A federal jury in New York today found a former executive of 21st Century Fox and a Uruguayan sports marketing company guilty of electronic fraud and money laundering, in a scheme to bribe executives of the highest bodies of FIFA to obtain rights to broadcast the matches.
The jury delivered its verdict against a former Fox executive, the Argentine Hernán López, 52, and the company Full Play Group SA, incorporated in Uruguay and headquartered in Buenos Aires (Argentina), after a trial that began on the 18th of January before Judge Pamela K. Chen, the prosecution said in a statement.
Another former Fox executive accused in this same case, the Mexican Carlos Martínez, was declared innocent by the jury, which delivered the verdict after three days of deliberations in the federal court for the Eastern District of New York, in the county of Brooklyn.
López faces up to 40 years in prison and both parties face millions in financial penalties, according to the prosecutor’s office.
He noted that López, responsible for developing and running Fox’s sports broadcasting business in Latin America, joined Full Play and other conspirators in a scheme that involved paying millions of dollars in annual bribes to CONMEBOL officials, in exchange for the lucrative rights to broadcast the Copa Libertadores.
Full Play is owned by Hugo Jinkis and Mariano Jinkis, father and son, who were accused in 2015, when the corruption scandal broke out at FIFA, the institution that governs soccer federations globally. Both are fugitives from the prosecution.
He also indicated in the statement that Full Play participated in numerous bribery schemes to CONMEBOL and CONCACAF officials in exchange for the broadcasting and marketing rights of various events, including World Cup qualifying matches and friendlies, the Copa Libertadores and multiple editions of the Copa América.
He stressed that the trial showed that the defendants used their positions to participate in schemes that involved “the solicitation, offer, acceptance, payment and receipt of bribes and kickbacks, mainly to obtain lucrative broadcasting rights to various football tournaments and events.” international”.
“Today’s verdict is a resounding victory for justice and for football fans around the world. The defendants cheated by bribing football officials to act in their own interest rather than in the best interest of the sport.” said US Attorney Breon Peace.
He stated that “corporations and individuals alike must understand that, regardless of their wealth or power, they will be brought to justice if they use America’s financial system to further corrupt ends.”
(c) EFE Agency
