Qatar spied on a former Swiss attorney general’s private meeting with the FIFA president and bugged him with the help of former CIA agents, as per reports. It was done because of concerns that the Gulf state may lose its bid to host the 2022 World Cup, AFP news agency reported citing media outlets.
The investigation done by NZZ am Sonntag weekly claims to have received “official secret documents which prove the espionage action.” The newspaper further said that under the condition of secrecy, insiders with firsthand knowledge of the incident recounted the operation and claimed it went under the codename “Project Matterhorn”.
The decision to give Qatar hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup was plagued by controversy, including claims of corruption and human rights breaches since it was initially announced 12 years ago.
Nonetheless, it appears that controversy is not leaving Qatar alone. This time an accusation has been made against the country’s intel for spying on a top former Swiss prosecutor.
A six-year-old informal meeting between Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, and Michael Lauber, the country’s top prosecutor at the time, was bugged by Qatari intelligence, according to the NZZ am Sonntag weekly.
The covert encounter in Bern on June 16, 2017, according to the newspaper, had been discreetly taped on behalf of the Gulf state. When the secret meeting was revealed Lauber lost his job. However, Qatar has refuted the claims. Moreover, Lauber’s attorney told the newspaper that his client was not aware of being spied on or blackmailed by Qatari intel agents.
At the time, Lauber’s office was looking into serious claims of corruption in the world of football, including anomalies in the selection of Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup.
He was compelled to step down after it was discovered that he had three unofficial meetings with Infantino, particularly the one from 2017, which he originally denied ever occurring.
NZZ said that the discussion took place in a conference room adjacent to the Qatari embassy at the opulent Hotel Schweizerhof, which has been owned by Qataris since 2009. According to the sources, the primary objective of espionage was to obtain evidence that might be used to put pressure on the prosecutor.
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