KSrelief signs agreement to care for orphans in earthquake-affected areas of Syria    IMF Chief lauds Saudi Arabia for its prudent leadership of IMFC    Saudi stocks extend rally as TASI hits 11,500 points    Supreme Court pauses midnight deadline to return man mistakenly deported to El Salvador    Beijing vows to 'fight to the end' as Trump threatens 50% more tariffs    US in direct nuclear talks with Iran, Trump says    Six cases of child malnutrition found in Samos migrant camp, medical charity says    Women make up 20% of e-sports players in Saudi Arabia    First baby born in UK to woman with transplanted womb    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Prince Khalid bin Salman and US counterpart discuss over phone prospects for defense cooperation    Princess Haifa: Sporting events draw 14 million tourists with SR22 billion spending in 2024    Average life expectancy in Saudi Arabia rises to 78.8 years    Saudi Arabia highlights long standing relationship with UNESCO during Executive Board meeting    6.8 million people travel via four Saudi airports during 2025 Umrah season    Ithra to showcase its art collection at Riyadh Art Week    TASI recoups losses, records highest close since December 2024    The Seven Dogs wraps filming in Riyadh with a budget exceeding $40 million    Saudi U-17s qualify for 2025 FIFA World Cup after win over Thailand    Al Qadsiah and Al Ettifaq share spoils in tense Eastern Derby stalemate    Benzema rescues Al Ittihad with stoppage-time equalizer in thrilling Jeddah Derby    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



CAF president Ahmad questioned by French authorities
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 06 - 06 - 2019

Confederation of African Football president Ahmad Ahmad was questioned by French authorities in Paris on Thursday, world football's governing body FIFA said.
Ahmad, a former Malagasy Cabinet minister, was reported in March to FIFA's ethics committee for alleged corruption and harassment by CAF General Secretary Amr Fahmy. Fahmy was then fired.
Ahmad, 59, was taken from his Paris hotel at 8.30 a.m. and questioned by officers of OCLIF, the French police agency fighting financial crime and corruption, French media reports said.
Ahmad, who is also a FIFA vice president, had been in Paris for the FIFA Congress on Wednesday, where its newly re-elected president Gianni Infantino said his organization had got rid of a "toxic, almost criminal" image.
"FIFA is unaware of the details surrounding this investigation and is therefore not in a position to make any comment on it specifically," FIFA said in a statement on Thursday.
"FIFA is asking the French authorities for any information that might be relevant to investigations taking place within its Ethics Committee."
Reuters has made several attempts to contact Ahmad and CAF for comment.
Fahmy accused Ahmad of bribes and misuse of hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to officials and an internal document.
The document, sent on March 31 by Fahmy to the FIFA ethics committee and seen by Reuters, accused Ahmad of ordering his secretary-general to pay $20,000 bribes into accounts of African football association presidents.
The document also accused Ahmad of costing CAF an extra $830,000 by ordering equipment via a French intermediary company called Tactical Steel rather than directly from manufacturers.
At the time, Ahmad did not respond to requests for comment on the allegations against him.
FIFA has since launched an ethics investigation into Ahmad.
The document also accused Ahmad of harassing four female CAF staff, whom it did not name; violating statutes to increase Moroccan representation within the organisation; and over-spending more than $400,000 of CAF money on cars in Egypt and Madagascar, where a satellite office has been set up for him.
The allegations against Ahmad follow a string of scandals related to FIFA's practices in Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia in recent years, which have led to the indictment and jailing of numerous senior football administrators.
The corruption scandals first broke in 2015 and football's governing body has been trying hard since then to clean up its image.
"As a matter of due process, everyone has the right to the presumption of innocence, but as the FIFA president reiterated yesterday, FIFA is fully committed to eradicating all forms of wrongdoing at any level in football. Anyone found to have committed illicit or illegal acts has no place in football," FIFA added in Thursday's statement.
"FIFA is now clean from the scandals that tarnished its reputation and this same determination should prevail in governing bodies such as confederations. FIFA will be at the forefront of ensuring that this is enforced by everyone involved in football."
The arrest of Ahmad is the latest crisis to hit the African game, coming some 12 hours after the CAF executive committee ordered a replay of the second leg of the African Champions League final.
The original fixture was abandoned and the match awarded to Esperance after opponents Wydad Casablanca left the pitch following a disputed decision. — Reuters


Clic here to read the story from its source.