Appologies if this is posted elsewhere, but I just found this out. Apparently the UCI and other sports bodies are free to accept bribes under Swiss law. Quite an awful reason to be based there.
(part of an article originally about the world cup, @ http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/sport/Is_Fifa_scandal_an_own_goal_for_Switzerland.html?cid=28601954 ):
Fifa stands accused by the British Sunday Times newspaper of certain members paying and receiving huge bribes to secure votes for the privilege of hosting of the World Cup.
Such an activity by Fifa officials would not break Swiss anti-corruption laws because non-profit sporting entities are exempt from such legislation – last updated in 2006. Anti-corruption watchdog group Transparency International has long criticised the exemption.
“This is a big mistake,” Anne Schwöbel, director of Transparency International’s Swiss branch, told swissinfo.ch. “The government decided that these bodies are non-commercial, but there are huge financial interests behind sport.”
“Switzerland benefits from the fact that it has a lot of sporting organisations because they bring prestige. These bodies are in the comfortable situation of knowing that if they have internal malpractices then they do not have to fear an external investigation.”
The Swiss justice ministry told swissinfo.ch that there were no plans to change the exemption of sporting associations from anti-corruption laws.
Sporting bodies enjoy a large degree of legal freedom when they set up in Switzerland, confirmed sports law specialist Piermarco Zen-Ruffinen of Neuchâtel University.
“It is very simple to create an association, we have very few mandatory rules,” he told swissinfo.ch. “Associations are given a lot of freedom to govern themselves.”
(part of an article originally about the world cup, @ http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/sport/Is_Fifa_scandal_an_own_goal_for_Switzerland.html?cid=28601954 ):
Fifa stands accused by the British Sunday Times newspaper of certain members paying and receiving huge bribes to secure votes for the privilege of hosting of the World Cup.
Such an activity by Fifa officials would not break Swiss anti-corruption laws because non-profit sporting entities are exempt from such legislation – last updated in 2006. Anti-corruption watchdog group Transparency International has long criticised the exemption.
“This is a big mistake,” Anne Schwöbel, director of Transparency International’s Swiss branch, told swissinfo.ch. “The government decided that these bodies are non-commercial, but there are huge financial interests behind sport.”
“Switzerland benefits from the fact that it has a lot of sporting organisations because they bring prestige. These bodies are in the comfortable situation of knowing that if they have internal malpractices then they do not have to fear an external investigation.”
The Swiss justice ministry told swissinfo.ch that there were no plans to change the exemption of sporting associations from anti-corruption laws.
Sporting bodies enjoy a large degree of legal freedom when they set up in Switzerland, confirmed sports law specialist Piermarco Zen-Ruffinen of Neuchâtel University.
“It is very simple to create an association, we have very few mandatory rules,” he told swissinfo.ch. “Associations are given a lot of freedom to govern themselves.”