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FIFA's official Marin extradited to US

November 3, 2015

Switzerland has handed over former Brazilian football chief Jose Maria Marin to US authorities. Marin is one of the seven FIFA executives arrested on bribery charges during the large Zurich raid.

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Brasilien - CBF Präsident José Maria Marin
Image: CBF/Stuckert

Marin left Switzerland on Tuesday to face graft charges in the US, the Swiss justice ministry (FOJ) said in Bern.

"He was handed over to two US police officers in Zurich who accompanied him on the flight to New York," FOJ spokesman Folco Galli said.

The US prosecutors believe that Marin took millions of dollars in bribes from sports marketing companies.

Marin served as president of Brazilian Football Association and was in charge of organizing the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The 83-year old FIFA official agreed to be extradited last week. If convicted, he could receive a 20-year sentence on racketeering charges.

Five FIFA officials remaining

Swiss authorities arrested the Brazilian in a raid on a luxury Zurich hotel late May, along with six other high-ranking FIFA officials. The raid triggered a large-scale scandal that eventually prompted the FIFA head Sepp Blatter to announce his intention to step down.

The US authorities claim that the FIFA executives were involved in a long-running corruption scheme, with a total value allegedly reaching $151 million (138 million euros).

Former FIFA vice president Jeffrey Webb, who also presided over the North, Central American and Caribbean football body CONCACAF, was also among those arrested in Zurich.

He has also agreed to his extradition, and pleaded not guilty in front of a New York court in July.

The remaining five executives are still in Switzerland, waiting for the transfer to the US.

dj/jm (Reuters, AP)