BERN: Franz Beckenbauer has been questioned by Swiss investigators over the German 2006 World Cup cash mystery.

Criminal proceedings against Beckenbauer and three other German members of the 2006 tournament organizing committee were opened in 2015. The four are suspected of fraud, money laundering, criminal mismanagement, and misappropriation relating to a payment of €6.7m to FIFA in 2005.

The Swiss attorney general’s office confirmed that federal prosecutors questioned Beckenbauer. who had been head of the German bid and then organising committees.

Beckenbauer’s Austrian home at Kitzbihel was among a number of residences of former German officials raided last year.

Swiss prosecutors and German tax authorities are investigating a trail linking a €6.7m payment which began with the late Robert Louis-Dreyfus, the late former Adidas executive and former part owner of Swiss marketing agency Infront, and apparently ended up, via FIFA, with former Asian confederation president and FIFA vice-president Mohamed bin Hammam.

Swiss prosecutors are investigating the 2006 World Cup allegations in a wider probe of FIFA’s business. Blatter is under criminal investigation for suspected financial mismanagement.

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