The entire Court of Appeal of the Swiss Federal Criminal Court – judges and clerks – must recuse themselves from the proceedings opened against Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini for undue payments, the Federal Court informed the various parties on Thursday. “The Federal Court admits Michel Platini’s appeal and thus grants his request for recusal of October 31, 2022,” explains the defense of the former French football star in a press release.
Michel Platini and Sepp Blatter were acquitted on July 8, 2022, in a fraud case for which Blatter was suspected of having made “an unfair payment” to the detriment of FIFA, in 2011, without a written trace, of 1.83 million euros in favor of Michel Platini, for advisory work carried out between 1999 and 2002.
In October 2022, the Swiss public prosecutor appealed this acquittal, an appeal which FIFA also joined. The president of the Court of Appeal, Olivier Thormann, had already recused himself because he had led these proceedings while he was chief prosecutor at the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office.
But Michel Platini and his counsel believed that his fellow judges could not have assessed him and his statements neutrally as a controversial witness. It is therefore a first victory for the former UEFA president before the start of his appeal trial for which he “also expects a clear acquittal”, believes his lawyer Dominic Nellen.
“It is fair and important that the Federal Court has accepted the appeal of Michel Platini who is happy to note that the Court of Appeal will now be composed of neutral judges, capable of passing a neutral and critical judgment on the case, and in particular on the role of Olivier Thormann,” continues Me Nellen. Swiss courts must now appoint three presidents of cantonal courts by drawing lots. This should extend the delays before the appeal trial of Michel Platini, 68 years old, and Sepp Blatter, 88 years old, takes place.