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Fifa agency boss on fraud charge

BERNE - The Swiss court investigating the collapse of Fifa's former marketing agency, ISL, has confirmed that ISL's former chairman Jean-Marie Weber is among those facing trial on fraud charges.

BERNE - The Swiss court investigating the collapse of Fifa's former marketing agency, ISL, has confirmed that ISL's former chairman Jean-Marie Weber is among those facing trial on fraud charges.

Prosecutors in the Swiss canton of Zug, where International Sport and Leisure was based, charged an unspecified number of former executives in March and refused to name them, in accordance with Swiss privacy laws.

The charges include embezzlement, fraud, fraudulent bankruptcy, harming creditors and the falsification of documents.

Weber's involvement in the case was confirmed yesterday when the court issued an accreditation document officially naming him for the first time. No date has yet been set for the trial.

The ISL agency collapsed in May 2001, with estimated debts of around $300million.

The state prosecutors said in March that their own investigations were centred upon debts of at least $100million caused by alleged criminal behaviour on the part of the company's executives.

The court case is expected to reveal whether ISL paid bribes to sports officials in order to secure lucrative contracts.

ISL managed the marketing and television rights of world soccer's governing body Fifa for more than 20 years.

The Zug prosecutors have said that the charges relate only to ISL executives and that no former or current Fifa officials have been charged. - Reuters

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