Ex-president pleads guilty

Honduran admits to wire fraud and racketeering

Former Honduran president Rafael Callejas pleaded guilty in New York on Monday to conspiracy to commit racketeering and wire fraud in connection with the FIFA corruption scandal rocking world soccer.

The 72-year-old, who has been free on a $4 million bail in the United States since leaving Honduras by private jet last December to face American justice, will be sentenced on Aug 5.

The two counts each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in jail.

"Guilty," Callejas told Judge Robert Levy in a federal court in Brooklyn, entering his plea. He spoke calmly in fluent English with a US accent, and was dressed in a dark suit.

Callejas served as president of Honduras from 1990 to 1994. He was head of the country's soccer federation from 2002 to 2015, and is also a former member of FIFA's Television and Marketing Committee.

He originally faced eight charges of racketeering, fraud and money laundering, to which he pleaded not guilty on Dec 15.

"I knew it was wrong," he told the court on Monday, admitting to receiving bribes for awarding media and marketing rights contracts to a Florida-based company for Honduran FIFA World Cup qualifier matches.

As part of his plea, he agreed to forfeit $650,000 - $180,000 to be paid within one week and the balance due within 12 months.

He is one of 39 officials and marketing executives accused of soliciting and receiving tens of millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks in a case that has sparked an unprecedented crisis at FIFA.

US prosecutors accused Callejas of receiving $1.6 million in bribes between March 2011 and January 2013 for broadcast rights of games played by the Honduran national team.

They said Florida company Media World paid these bribes from its US bank accounts through an intermediary, to overseas accounts of Callejas and a co-conspirator.

Monday's plea brings to 14 the number of individuals to have pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with US prosecutors in the FIFA case in exchange for a possible reduction in sentence.

Callejas told the judge he had been under treatment from a cardiologist and was currently taking medication.

Last Tuesday, Costas Takkas, the former Cayman Islands Football Federation secretary-general, became the latest FIFA suspect extradited from Switzerland to appear in a New York court.

Takkas pleaded not guilty before Judge Viktor Pohorelsky and was released on a $1 million bond with a $25,000 cash deposit, court documents show.

The 57-year-old accountant, who has British and Greek citizenship, will be confined to house arrest in Florida, allowed to leave only to see his doctors, lawyers, go to court or to attend religious services.

Takkas, who was born in Cyprus, was one of six FIFA officials arrested in May 2015 in Zurich at the request of US authorities.

The US judge granted him 60 minutes of exercise a day in a gym in the building of his Florida residence.

Brazil launches congressional FIFA probe

The land of the beautiful game faced up to its ugly side on Monday as Brazilian lawmakers announced a congressional commission to investigate the "crimes committed by FIFA's directors".

The lower-house commission, which was launched on Tuesday, will investigate figures including Jose Maria Marin, the former president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, said a statement on the congressional website.

Marin was one of the seven FIFA executives arrested in a first anti-corruption sting at a Zurich luxury hotel in May.

Marin, who has been extradited to the United States, is charged with taking bribes for the broadcast rights to South American tournaments.

His predecessor, Ricardo Teixeira, and successor, Marco Polo del Nero, have also been indicted in the US.

The investigative commission is sponsored by lawmaker Joao Derly, a two-time world judo champion.

Rafael Callejas, the former president of Honduras, departs after pleading guilty in a hearing at the US Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, on Monday.Lucas Jackson / Reuters

(China Daily 03/30/2016 page23)