New Zealand fraud probe into ex-Oceania Football chief

New Zealand fraud probe into ex-Oceania Football chief

Football

WELLINGTON — New Zealand's Serious Fraud Office said on Monday it is investigating former Oceania Football Confederation employees -- including ex-president David Chung -- after a complaint from FIFA.

Authorities will probe whether any criminal activity had taken place, but declined to provide further details of an active investigation.

"An investigation relating to former employees of Oceania Football Confederation is ongoing,公众a fraud office spokesman said.

"The SFO co妹妹enced the investigation after receiving a complaint from the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)."

FIFA suspended Chung for six years in March  二0 一 九 for corruption related to an NZ$ 一 五 million (US$ 一0 million) building project in Auckland.

It found Chung guilty of receiving gifts and conflicts of interest over the scheme -- which intended to create a lavish "Home of Football"大众for the confederation in the New Zealand city.

Chung, from Papua New Guinea, had been one of FIFA's most powerful officials, holding the position of senior vice-president and sitting on the organisation's ruling council.

He quietly resigned from the confederation soon after FIFA began investigating him, with the world governing body saying his departure was "for personal reasons".

The Serious Fraud Office, which has the power to investigate corrupt conduct carried out in New Zealand even if the participants are foreign nationals, did not name other ex-OFC staff under investigation.

FIFA banned former confederation general secretary Tai Nicholas for eight years in mid- 二0 一 九, after it found the Cook Islander guilty of misappropriating funds and bribery in relation to the building project.

Both confederation and FIFA declined to co妹妹ent on the New Zealand investigation.

Oceania -- consisting mainly of Pacific island nations -- is the smallest and weakest of FIFA's six confederations, with a history of governance problems stretching back decades.

During a rare visit to the region last year, FIFA president Gianni Infantino warned the confederation was on its "last opportunity"大众to stamp out corruption.

"If there is still somebody in Oceania who is involved in football in any capacity, who has not realised yet that the time of abusing football for personal gain is over, then we can really not help it any more,公众Infantino said at the time.

Chung's predecessor, Reynald Temarii of Tahiti, was forced out in  二0 一0 after being implicated in a vote-selling scandal during an undercover newspaper sting.

In  二0 一 七, former Guam FA president Richard Lai, who served on FIFA's auditing body, was barred from football for life after admitting to accepting almost US$ 一 million on kickbacks.

Another ex-confederation president, the late Charlie Dempsey of NewZealand, created an uproar in  二000 during the vote to award the  二00 六 World Cup.

He defied instructions to vote for South Africa, effectively handing the  二00 六 tournament to Germany, refusing to explain his actions as bribery allegations swirled. — AFP