"After two acquittals and the withdrawal of the office of the Attorney General, these criminal proceedings have finally failed. Michel Platini has been acquitted with legal effect and fully rehabilitated under criminal law. The criminal proceedings had not only legal but also massive personal and professional consequences for Michel Platini - even though no incriminating evidence was ever presented. Among other things, the criminal proceedings prevented his election as Fifa president in 2016."
"Michel Platini notes the withdrawal of the appeal with satisfaction. He has always emphasised that the payment was an outstanding back payment of wages. The final acquittal proves him right. The Office of the Attorney General has failed to find a single piece of incriminating evidence over a period of 10 years. These proceedings were unjustified and should never have been brought."
Michel Platini and Sepp Blatter were fully cleared of corruption charges related to a 2011 payment of 2 million Swiss francs after the Swiss Attorney General's Office declined to appeal a March acquittal. An appeals court had earlier cleared both men, and they were initially acquitted of fraud in 2022. Both men denied wrongdoing and maintained the payment was for advisory work or back wages. Platini's lawyer said the proceedings caused significant personal and professional harm and prevented Platini's 2016 FIFA presidential bid. The Attorney General's Office did not find incriminating evidence over a ten-year probe.
Read at www.bbc.com
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