QNA
The Chairman of beIN Media Group and President of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) Nasser Al Khelaifi has requested the recusal of the federal prosecutors in charge of his final technical and flawed Swiss case, while also filing a criminal complaint.
Over recent weeks, the impartiality, propriety and credibility of the Swiss Office of the Attorney General has been thrown into major question as it has been revealed that the lead prosecutor in Switzerland, Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber, had been sanctioned by its Supervisory Authority for lying and various breaches of conduct in connection with the conduct of the various FIFA-related cases, prompting major new counteractions by Nasser Al Khelaifi.
The recent announcement by the seven-member supervisory authority of the Federal Prosecutor's Office revealed new facts and has prompted Al Khelaifi to request the recusal of the other federal prosecutors in charge of his case.
In addition, Al Khelaifi has also filed a criminal complaint after confidential information pertaining to the file was repeatedly leaked. A criminal investigation for suspicion of breach of official secrecy has been opened against unknown and, for obvious conflict of interest issues, assigned to an extraordinary Prosecutor outside of the Office of the Attorney General. It is currently pending.
Commenting on the developments, lawyers representing Al Khelaifi said, "There appears to be a recurring theme regarding the Swiss prosecutions cases, and our client's case is no different. As we have said from day one, the prosecutions recently-submitted secondary charge is manifestly artificial and lacks basis in law or fact. While hearing dates have recently been ear-marked, our client's position has not changed in any way - this secondary case is completely unfounded, just like the primary case which was dropped. Further, and in the context of the findings against the Swiss Attorney General of lying and breach of conduct, we have requested the recusal of the prosecutors and also filed a criminal complaint in relation to the leaks - making it uncertain whether the case will proceed at all."
The press release added that after a three-year thorough investigation by the Swiss authorities, all charges against Nasser Al Khelaifi, which were related to TV broadcast rights to the 2026 and 2030 World Cups, were decisively and conclusively, but the new charge that suddenly appeared by the prosecutor showed that the main issue was flawed.
The statement concluded that Al Khelaifi was not given the right to fully respond to the new charge, so that it turned out to be lacking any basis in law or fact, and everything is baseless, like the main case that was dropped.