AFC issues new suspension to Bin Hammam
17 Jul 2012
Fresh allegations of financial wrongdoing have been made against Mohamed bin Hammam after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) suspended its former president on Monday.
Bin Hammam is currently fighting against his life ban from world football issued by FIFA last year, but the AFC announced a new 30-day suspension in a statement released late on Monday. The AFC said Executive Committee member Kohzo Tashima reported “possible violations” of the AFC statutes, disciplinary code and code of ethics allegedly committed by Bin Hammam to the AFC general secretary, who reported it to the organisation’s disciplinary committee. Tashima’s report followed the completion of a certified forensic audit of the AFC’s financial accounts by international audit firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) carried out over the past year and the delivery of the audit findings to Tashima in his capacity as the chairman of the AFC Ad-hoc Evaluation Committee.
Asian football’s governing body said the Qatari has been suspended for “events surrounding the negotiation and execution of certain contracts and with the financial transactions made in and out of AFC bank accounts and his personal account during the tenure of Mr. Bin Hammam’s presidency.” The AFC added it will make no additional comment on the matter until further notice.
Bin Hammam is appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against his life ban from world football for his alleged involvement in last year’s FIFA presidential election scandal, with a verdict due in the coming weeks. Bin Hammam was handed his FIFA ban in July 2011 for allegedly paying bribes totalling approximately US$1 million to Caribbean Football Union officials at a meeting in Trinidad. Witnesses testified to FIFA that cash gifts of $40,000 were handed over after a presentation by Bin Hammam, who was running against Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency. The Qatari has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
