ZURICH, Switzerland, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- A pre-dawn raid in a Zurich hotel Thursday led to the arrests of two vice-presidents of FIFA, the world soccer organizing body.
The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed that Alfredo Hawit, 64, and Juan Angel Napout, 57, who oversee soccer in the Western Hemisphere, were arrested at the Baur au Lac hotel. FIFA's executive committee is meeting in Zurich to vote on proposed reforms. Seven FIFA officials were arrested in May at the same hotel.
"They are being held in custody pending their extradition (to the United States). According to the U.S. arrest requests, they are suspected of accepting bribes of millions of dollars," a Swiss Federation of Justice statement read. Hawit and Napout allegedly took money in the sale of marketing rights of Latin American and World Cup qualifying round soccer matches.
Police in several countries have charged FIFA executives with rackateering, fraud and money laundering. Law enforcement officials said at least a dozen more soccer executives, although likely not FIFA president Sepp Blatter, 79, are expected to be charged by the time the executive committee meeting ends.
FIFA said in a statement it would cooperate fully with government investigations. Blatter and FIFA vice president Michel Platini, 60 are currently suspended from their positions as the organization's ethics committee investigates charges of corruption against them.
