COSATU: Anyone with information on FIFA allegations must come forward
“Cosatu call for full disclosure whatsoever if there was any member of the LOC aware of such intransigent transactions to corroborate corruption claims made by one of the former member, Mr Jack Warner,” the Congress of the SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) said in a statement on Thursday.
The trade union federation said it joined all South Africans in calling for anyone who had information on the bribery allegations, to come forward and share with competent authorities for action to be taken.
“Cosatu was represented in the Local Organising Committee to safeguard interests of labour in hosting and construction of all infrastructure and was at no given time appraised about any exchange of monies by some parties during the bidding process to carry any favour.”
On Thursday, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) said that it has not opened a formal investigation regarding the allegations that South Africa paid a bribe to host the 2010 World Cup.
“The speculations that have been doing the rounds claiming that Hawks are investigating Safa President Dr Danny Jordaan and other Safa officials are simply malicious, baseless and unfounded,” Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said.
“We receive information from members of the public and institutions regarding matters of fraud, corruption and other high profile cases almost on a daily basis and we open inquiry files on such information, so there is nothing special about us looking into the matter as presented to us by the [Freedom Front Puls] FF Plus.”
Mulaudzi said that no case was opened against anybody in relation to the FIFA “scandal” and no formal investigation has been instituted.
“We have not received any correspondence from the FBI or United States authorities, who are at the centre of the FIFA controversy investigations and as the directorate we have no jurisdiction to be investigating the matter,” Mulaudzi said.
“However, we can confirm that we have received documents from Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus), a political party in South Africa concerning the FIFA issues, and we have opened an inquiry file so that we investigate contents of the documents,” he said.
On Wednesday, FFPlus parliamentary spokesman on Sport Advocate Anton Alberts said in a statement that the party received confirmation that the Hawks would be investigating the involvement of South Africans in the FIFA fraud.
Cosatu welcomed the decision taken by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), and the resignation of it’s president Sepp Blatter.
“It shows a display of taking responsibility when elected people are called to account,”
South Africans deserved to be appraised on all developments in relation to the FIFA Legacy Projects to benefit communities and football fraternity and how long such a project had been closed, if it was indeed closed, Cosatu said.
On Thursday, mining magnate and football club owner, Patrice Motsepe said corruption allegations in relation to the World Cup vote must be fully investigated and action taken if any wrongdoing is found.
“Should the claims be found to be true, it risks tarnishing the legacy of the former President Nelson Mandela, who was regarded as instrumental in helping South Africa secure the event,” Motsepe said.
“It will not just be for Mandela, but for all of us as ordinary citizens.”
A recently released transcript of a 2013 sentencing deal revealed that FIFA’s former official in the to Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) region, Chuck Blazer, admitted to accepting bribes.
On Wednesday, Minister of Sport Fikile Mbalula said government was pursuing the matter through diplomatic channels with United States authorities.
Mbalula said the money was earmarked for Concacaf as part of a joint decision between government and the footballing body. He explained that the money in question had never been used to bribe anyone to secure the right to host the World Cup. -ANA
(File Photo: Gallo Images)