Published By: Ritayan Basu
Last Updated: March 13, 2023, 09:08 IST
FIFA World Cup in Qatar (AP)
The Qatari emirate rejected the allegations, saying they had been a part of “smear campaigns” by European media
Qatar spied on a 2017 assembly between a former Swiss legal professional basic and FIFA president Gianni Infantino, amid fears it might be stripped of internet hosting final 12 months’s World Cup, a newspaper reported Sunday.
The emirate rejected the allegations, saying they had been a part of “smear campaigns” by European media.
But according to the NZZ am Sonntag weekly, an intelligence operation recorded the meeting in a luxury Bern hotel between Switzerland’s top prosecutor at the time, Michael Lauber, and Infantino. The newspaper quoted official documents and other sources.
The paper said an investigation lasting several months revealed that the June 16, 2017, meeting had been secretly recorded. Lauber lost his job after the discussion became publicly known.
Lauber’s lawyer told the paper his client was not aware he had been spied on.
Lauber’s office was at the time investigating massive corruption allegations within world football, including alleged irregularities in the vote to give Qatar the 2022 World Cup.
The prosecutor was forced to step down after it was revealed that he had met with Infantino three times. Lauber initially denied holding the meetings.
FIFA also looked into the meetings but an investigation found that Infantino, who said the conversations were “perfectly legal”, had no case to reply.
‘Project Matterhorn’
The 2017 encounter was on the luxurious Hotel Schweizerhof, which has been run by Qatari homeowners since 2009, in a convention room in the identical hall because the Qatari embassy, NZZ stated.
The report added that Qatar sought to sway worldwide opinion amid fears it risked dropping the proper to host the 2022 World Cup over allegations of corruption and human rights abuses.
With the assistance of former CIA brokers, the nation spied on FIFA officers and on Lauber, in accordance with NZZ, which stated it had obtained “official secret paperwork” on the hotel bugging.
The paper said sources with direct knowledge had described the operation, on condition of anonymity, and had said it carried the code name “Project Matterhorn”.
The sources stated the purpose of the espionage was to assemble incriminating materials that might be used to stress the prosecutor.
With the bugging marketing campaign, Qatar would have been conscious that the Swiss legal professional basic had offered unfaithful statements to his authorities when he maintained that no casual conferences occurred with Infantino after 2016.
According to NZZ, Lauber’s lawyer stated the previous legal professional basic had no data of any bugging or recording of the Schweizerhof assembly, and had by no means been blackmailed or approached by Qatari operatives.
The Qatar authorities stated it might take authorized motion over the experiences.
“The allegations are one other try and unfold false details about Qatar and injury its status,” said a statement released by the government’s International Media Office.
“We reject the allegations and are exploring all legal avenues. It is evidently clear that the multiple smear campaigns against Qatar in Europe, revealed by media reports in France, Switzerland and elsewhere in Europe earlier this month, relentlessly persist.”
Qatar stated “respected” media should “verify the authenticity of such groundless allegations before contributing to the spread of disinformation”.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is printed from a syndicated information company feed)
