ZURICH: Michael Lauber, the defiant under-pressure Attorney-General of Switzerland, has been summoned to face a parliamentary impeachment procedure over his bungled handling of corruption investigations into world football federation FIFA.
A judicial committee statement said it had “decided to hear Attorney General Michel Lauber at its next meeting [on May 20],” The statement added: “It will then decide whether to open impeachment proceedings against him.”
The committee of lawmakers from both houses of the Swiss parliament noted a highly critical report by the attorney general’s independent watchdog (AB-BA), as well as Lauber’s rebuttals.
The watchdog’s report said Lauber, who has been attorney general since 2012, has committed serious breaches of his duties including lying, acting disloyally and obstructing AB-BA’s investigation, the committee said.
It added: “For his part, Michael Lauber denies the form and content of the accusations made against him and accuses the AB-BA of numerous procedural errors, exceeding its authority, and bias, among other things.
Lauber has been accused by anti-corruption campaigners of bungling a fraud trial over payments linked to the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Switzerland’s judicial system is also investigating high-level corruption cases linked to the Brazilian state oil firm Petrobras and the Malaysian state development fund 1MDB.
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