Juan Angel Napout agrees extradition to the USA

Berne. Juan Angel Napout, president of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) and FIFA vice-president has agreed to be extradited to the USA. The Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) was therefore able to approve his extradition immediately in a simplified procedure. As is customary, no details concerning when he will be handed over are to be disclosed for reasons of security and privacy.

Juan Angel Napout was arrested in Zurich on 3 December 2015 on the basis of an arrest request from the USA and detained pending extradition. The US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York accuses him of accepting bribes totalling millions of dollars in connection with the sale to various sports marketing firms of marketing rights to football tournaments in Latin America.

In a first hearing conducted by the Zurich Cantonal Police immediately after his arrest, Napout had contested his extradition to the USA. The FOJ therefore asked the USA to submit a formal extradition request. A second hearing took place today, and this time Napout, a Paraguayan citizen, agreed to his extradition, which the FOJ was therefore able to approve immediately in a simplified procedure. According to the Swiss legislation on mutual assistance in criminal matters, the person concerned must be collected by a US police escort and taken to the USA within ten days.