BERN: Eugenio Figueredo, one of the ‘Zurich Seven’, has been granted new hope of being extradited home to Uruguay rather than to the United States to face FIFAGate charges writes KEIER RADNEDGE.

Figueredo, former vice-president of the South American football confederation CONMEBOL, had been detained in Zurich on May 27 on a corruption indictment from the US Department of Justice.

Initially he contested an application request which was approved on September 17. However his lawyers submitted an appeal during which time the Uruguayan Embassy in Bern also applied for Figueredo’s extradition on allegations of misappropriation of CONMEBOL funds.

Last week Figueredo’s lawyers indicated optimism that the US authorities would agree to his return to Uruguay in exchange for full cooperation over the FIFAGate investigation into a $150m bribery and money-laundering conspiracy in connection with commercial contracts to senior international football tournaments in the Americas.

The Swiss Federal Office of Justice has now agreed Figueredo’s simplified extradition to Uruguay subject only to resolution of priority between the Uruguayan and US requests.

If the US authorities deny the Uruguay request for priority then the FOJ will have to decide.

The Uruguayans suspect Figueredo of having accepted bribes worth millions of dollars in connection with the award of broadcast rights to a US sports marketing company.

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