SPORTS
A Swiss court rejected an appeal from an executive of world soccer body FIFA held in prison as part of a corruption probe to be freed on grounds of ill health, fearing he might abscond.
A Swiss court rejected an appeal from an executive of world soccer body FIFA held in prison as part of a corruption probe to be freed on grounds of ill health, fearing he might abscond.
Lawyers for Venezuela's Rafael Esquivel, 69, had asked the Federal Court's appeals chamber to release him.
He has been in custody since a dawn raid in Zurich on May 27 nabbed him and six other soccer executives on U.S. arrest warrants, throwing the governing body of global soccer into turmoil. "The court held that there was a risk that the appellant would abscond if released. The arguments put forward in support of his release, such as his advanced age and poor state of health, were not regarded as sufficient to counter the risk of absconding," the court said in a statement on Monday.
The court did not identify him by name but said he had headed Venezuela's soccer association and was a member of the executive committee of the South American Football Confederation. A law enforcement source confirmed it was Esquivel.
Esquivel, who the court said denies wrongdoing, is fighting efforts to extradite him to the United States. U.S. prosecutors accuse 14 soccer officials and sports marketing executives of bribery, money laundering and wire fraud charges involving more than $150 million in payments.
Esquivel has been in hospital since September 28 for unspecified tests, Switzerland's Federal Office of Justice said. The Swiss court ruled that Esquivel posed a danger of fleeing and had access to nearly $1 million. It rejected his request to be placed under surveillance via electronic monitoring.
Esquivel had argued that he had lost large amounts of weight and faced a psychological burden from incarceration. U.S. authorities had frozen around $3 million of his wealth, making it hard for the father of six to support his family.
The Spanish-Venezuelan dual citizen had a diplomatic passport from Venezuela, where he lived with his wife and two children, the court said.
'Mind blowing': Sibling duo's cover of 'Tum jo aaye' leaves netizens spellbound, WATCH viral video
Delhi-NCR's air quality turns 'very poor', situation likely to worsen till...
This college offers placements worth Rs 6500000 to graduates, is listed among top...
Vistara's Delhi-London flight diverted to Frankfurt after bomb threat
Mohammad Rizwan set to replace Babar Azam as Pakistan's ODI and T20I captain
Viral video: Little girl's adorable dance to 'Aayi Nai' impresses internet, watch
Gujarat: Vadodara man performs CPR to save snake's life, netizens say, 'Barodians can do anything'
Mukesh Ambani's brand forces Tata Group company to reduce its product price, revenue hit by...
DNA TV Show: Mumbai Police receives threat message seeking Rs 5 crore from Salman Khan
Shraddha Kapoor breaks silence over credit battle for Stree 2's success: 'I believe it was...'
Who is IAS Sanjeev Hans, arrested by ED in money laundering case?
Gautam Adani donates Rs 1000000000 to THIS Indian state for...
Mukesh Ambani's Jio Financial Services' profit rises by 3%, company earns Rs 6890000000 in...
Virat Kohli completes 9000 Test runs - Is he the fastest Indian to achieve this feat?
Karwa Chauth 2024: Check muhurat, moonrise timing in Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Patna other cities here
Salman Khan to import bulletproof SUV from Dubai after threats from gangster Lawrence Bishnoi
Apple's HR head resigns in less than 2 years marking another high-level departure under Tim Cook
60 guards and no one can leave the sets before it is over: How Salman Khan shoots for Bigg Boss 18
Karan Johar, Akshay Kumar join hands for a film inspired by…
Suresh Mansharmani - The Father of OKR is transforming SMEs of India
Meet world's 10 most beautiful women, including an Indian, not Aishwarya Rai, Alia Bhatt
Apple iPhone 16 under Rs 70000? THIS company is offering flat Rs 10000 discount, check details
Meet Bollywood actress who graduated from Harvard, wrote children’s books, did nude scenes in…
IND vs NZ, 1st Test: Virat Kohli falls on final ball of Day 3, India trail New Zealand by 125 runs
Pro Kabaddi League 2024 Live Streaming: When and where to watch PKL season 11 live on TV and online
Karwa Chauth 2024 Sargi timing: What you must include in your sargi thali?
SAT stays Rs 250000000 Sebi fine on Anil Ambani with one condition, asks him to...
Man was crossing railway track with phone glued to his face, watch video to know what happened next
Pioneering Business Intelligence at Cisco: The Visionary Leadership of Sagar Shukla
AAP leader Satyendar Jain walks out of jail, says, 'We will continue...'
Driving Innovation: Aravind Reddy Nayani's breakthrough in electric vehicle technology
From legacy systems to advanced analytics: The evolution of Devidas Kanchetti
Who is IPS Bhagyashree Navtake, Maharashtra cadre officer booked by CBI in Rs 1200 crore scam probe?
Meet IIT-JEE topper with 339 marks in JEE Advanced, went to IIT Bombay with AIR 1, now working as...
Virat Kohli's decision to not celebrate Rachin Ravindra's wicket sparks debate, know what happened
Watch: Radhika Merchant stuns in Rohit Bal lehenga at friend's wedding, dances to 'Sajna Ve Sajna'
PAK vs ENG: Pakistan beat England by 152 runs, register 1st Test win at home after 1348 days
Excel in finance and SAP integration-mastering an extraordinary journey of Dignesh Khatri
Revolutionizing Ad Technology: Arth Dave’s Leadership in Machine Learning-Driven Ad Recommendations
Redefining In-Store Shopping Experience: Krishnateja Shiva's impact on retail innovation
Vijay Bhaskar Kamireddy: Revolutionising machine learning with innovation and expertise
PM Modi to visit Russia next week to attend BRICS Summit in Kazan
Good news for Indian travellers as THIS country is now offering visa-on-arrival, check details
IPL 2025: 3 reasons why RCB might go in bidding war for New Zealand batter Rachin Ravindra
Key skills for successful web development career
6 important things to keep in mind before taking loan
Good news for Sadhguru as SC dismisses plea against Isha Foundation
Mukesh Ambani’s dream comes true as Reliance Jio beats Airtel, BSNL in...
Kunal Kamra reignites debate with Bhavish Aggarwal, says, 'Ola Electric hasn’t...'
IPL 2025: All teams possible retention list ahead of mega auction, CSK, RCB, MI will retain…
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar dead: List of top figures who may replace him
Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos have new 'job', they now work for...
Ex-India captain's clip goes viral amid India's batting disaster, fan says, 'he is trolling BCCI'
Meet people who will execute Ratan Tata's will, not Noel Tata, Jimmy Tata, they are...
US charges former RAW official for plotting to kill Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun
Byju's Raveendran finally BREAKS SILENCE on his rumoured move to Dubai amid legal tussle
What are Nita Ambani's lavish daily habits and how much does she spend in a day?