12 October 2017

​Eurojust supported the international joint operation launched today by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) of Switzerland, in close cooperation with the judicial and law enforcement authorities of France, Greece, Italy and Spain.

​The framework of today’s joint operation is a new criminal proceeding carried out by the OAG of Switzerland in the context of a series of ongoing football-related criminal investigations. This new criminal proceeding of the OAG is conducted on suspicion of, inter alia, passive private corruption and other crimes in connection with the award of media rights for certain countries at the FIFA World Cups of 2018, 2022, 2026 and 2030.

​Multiple premises were searched, assets were seized and interviews were conducted as a result of this joint operation.

​Through a coordination centre established today at its premises in The Hague, Eurojust supported the coordination of the international joint operations and ensured the transmission and execution of rogatory letters as well as the swift exchange of operational information collected on the ground among all judicial and law enforcement authorities involved.

​For inquiries and further information regarding the criminal proceedings of the OAG of Switzerland, please contact:

Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland
Communication Services
E-mail: info@ba.admin.ch

Link to the press release of the OAG of Switzerland:
https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start/documentation/media-releases.msg-id-68398.html

Background:

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In August 2017 compared with July 2017, seasonally adjusted industrial production rose by 1.4% in the euro area (EA19) and by 1.7% in the EU28, according to estimates from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In July 2017, industrial production rose by 0.3% in the euro area, while it fell by 0.3% in the EU28.

Full text available on EUROSTAT website

We welcome today’s agreement of the Council to set up the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. With 20 Member States joining, we will have a strong, independent and efficient body to fight transnational crime against the EU budget and cross-border VAT fraud.

Establishing the European Public Prosecutor’s Office will be a real game-changer. Many cases of fraud against the EU budget are transnational. We therefore need an institution which is able not only to investigate, but also to prosecute across borders. The future prosecutor will be doing exactly that. It will make sure that criminals are brought to justice faster and that more money is recovered, to the benefit of European taxpayers.

We are pleased that 20 Member States are joining forces to that aim and we are convinced more EU countries will follow. At the same time, we remain confident that all EU Members will support our common efforts to protect the EU budget against corruption and fraud. Next year, the Commission will furthermore lay out the next steps on a possible future extension of the tasks of the Prosecutor to include also cross-border terrorist crimes.

Following the Council’s agreement, we will now work to make the European Public Prosecutor’s Office operational by early 2020. We will equip it with the necessary resources to make sure it can start delivering results as quickly as possible.