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Ex-FC Barcelona head arraigned for corruption linked to Brazilian football body

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Madrid, June 29 (IANS) A judge at Spain’s national court on Friday ordered the arraignment of a former president of Catalan football giants FC Barcelona and his wife on charges of money laundering, belonging to a criminal organisation and embezzling funds from Brazil’s football federation, CBF.

Judge Carmen Lamela said in a court finding that Sandro Rosell, his spouse Marta Pineda, their attorney from the tiny Pyrenean enclave and tax haven of Andorra, Joan Besolí as well as another three individuals had all been accused of various corruption crimes as they allegedly conspired to divert capital from the CBF reserved for the broadcasting rights of Brazil’s national team and its various sponsorship deals, reports Efe.

“In her summing up, the judge focused on two operations that were investigated, where Rosell’s organization, called Ailanto, proceeded to conceal amounts of money that had been unlawfully siphoned off by Ricardo Terra Teixeira, the former president of the CBF,” a court statement explaining Lamela’s findings said.

“These operations were linked to the sale of broadcasting rights of 24 games of the Brazilian national soccer team and a sponsorship contract also signed by the CBF with the Nike sports brand,” the statement added.

Lamela said that it had been conclusively proven that the six accused, who are now set to face trial, belonged to a criminal organization and carried out at least two illegal operations aimed at hiding funds embezzled from the CBF by Teixeira, himself embroiled in several large-scale corruption scandals, some of which were linked to disgraced ex-FIFA boss Sepp Blatter.

In 2012, a Swiss prosecutor’s report said that Teixeira, along with his father-in-law, had accepted more than $41 million in bribes while he was a member of FIFA’s Executive Committee.

Lamela said there was proof that Teixeira had signed contracts using a complex series of companies, including some based in the Cayman Islands belonging to Saudi Arabian entrepreneur Saleh Kamel, in a bid to conceal siphoned-off funds.

The evidence pointed to Rosell being a beneficiary of illicit payments, and that both he and his wife received a total of 6.58 million euros ($7.7 million) from November 2010-January 2011 in five separate bank transfers.

Lamela cited that Rosell’s explanations had not coincided with the facts uncovered by the investigation.

“Hence, as has been detailed, Rosell between 2007 and 2011 had performed financial operations that tended to obscure the true origin and ownership of funds summing up to 14,973,328 euros,” Lamela’s findings said.

The court said Lamela’s findings had been sent to Spain’s Prosecutor, although there was a three-day right of appeal before proceedings should begin.

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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