Ex-Panama soccer boss in corruption probe

THE MAN  who reigned over  the Pan-American Football Federation (Fepafut),during the qualifying rounds for two World Cups  is accused of pocketing $130,000, in bribes  from a Miami  sports marketing company .

Ariel Alvarado, the organization’s president, is currently behind bars while under investigation for corruption and money laundering during a period when FIFA, the governing body of the world’s most popular sport  was riddled with corruption.

He was granted  a contract for the television and marketing  rights of the national team during the qualifiers for  South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014.

According to the Sixth Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, Alvarado, who has been detained since April 21, received two payments.$60,000 and $70,000 through attorney Luis Carlos Vidal, who, also , faces money laundering and corruption charges.

Prosecutors say Vidal, triangulated the money through a bank account of his daughter, Andrea Vidal, who is also accused.

The Public Ministry also tracked accounts of Alvarado’s wife and determined that a credit card – on behalf of the couple – received payments from  Sport  Traffic  whose head office is in Miami.

Vidal, his daughter and the wife of Ariel Alvarado , are all prohibited from leaving the country.

Alvarado, has been detained since last April 21 at the headq uarters of the Judicial Investigation Directorate.

César Broce, lawyer for Alvarado said the payments received were in the nature of “support” for the  management of Sport Traffic  and have nothing to do with the contracts that the federation signed.

Broce said that the members of the executive committee of Fepafut during the qualifying period, stated that the contract signed by Alvarado with  Sport Traffic “was beneficial to The federation “.

The Sixth Criminal Court recently refused to file a bail application in favor of Alvarado.

Judge Julieta Abrego Acosta sent the file to the Seventeenth Criminal Appeals Court, to resolve the application.