Swiss justice ministry grants US request to extradite Venezuela official in FIFA bribery case

Published September 23, 2015

Switzerland's justice ministry says it granted a U.S. request to extradite Venezuelan football official Rafael Esquivel in a FIFA bribery investigation.

The justice department says Esquivel is "accused of receiving bribes worth millions of dollars in connection with the sale of marketing rights to the Copa America tournaments in 2007, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2023."

Esquivel can appeal the decision within 30 days at Switzerland's federal criminal court.

The former Venezuela football federation president was among seven men arrested May 27 in early-morning hotel raids in Zurich, two days before the FIFA presidential election.

He is the third person whose extradition to the U.S. has been approved.

Esquivel faces 20 years in prison on racketeering charges.

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https://www.foxnews.com/world/swiss-justice-ministry-grants-us-request-to-extradite-venezuela-official-in-fifa-bribery-case