Bail hearing set for FIFA corruption scandal suspect
A US judge has scheduled a bail hearing for Wednesday for the only FIFA corruption scandal suspect still in custody in the United States. Judge Robert Levy will preside over the hearing for Eduardo Li, a Costa Rican, in a courthouse in Brooklyn, according to the judge's official agenda. Li, 57, is the former president of the Costa Rican Football Federation. He asked last week to be released on five million dollars bail, $300,000 of it payable in cash. Li was one of seven top football officials arrested in a raid on a Zurich luxury hotel in May. That kicked off an unprecedented crisis at FIFA, world football's governing body. Li's arrest came two days before he was to have been elected to the FIFA executive committee in representation of CONCACAF, football's governing body in North and Central America as well as the Caribbean. Switzerland extradited Li to the United States in December to face charges that include fraud and money laundering. Li says he is innocent. After Honduran Alfredo Hawit, the suspended president of CONCACAF, was moved to house arrest last week, Li is the only suspect left behind bars in the United States. The spiraling scandal at world football's governing body FIFA has led to the suspension of its president Sepp Blatter from any activity related to football.
