The Capture Order Against Mohamed Bin Hammam in the Selection of Qatar as the Venue for the 2022 World Cup
On Tuesday, September 26, the capture order against Mohamed Bin Hammam was officially announced. Bin Hammam played a key role in the selection of Qatar as the venue for the 2022 World Cup. This decision comes after a series of investigations into corruption in the bidding process.
From the beginning, the decision to award Qatar the 2022 World Cup hosting rights has been surrounded by controversy. Allegations of human rights violations against the workers responsible for the stadium renovations for the tournament have been reported.
ALLEGATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
Many of these workers were undocumented migrants who, according to Amnesty International, were subjected to grueling working conditions, overcrowding, and lack of labor guarantees. Additionally, it was reported that these workers were not being paid.
In addition to the allegations of human rights violations, there have also been suspicions of corruption in the selection of the tournament's host country. French authorities have issued a capture order against Mohamed bin Hammam, the Qatari billionaire sheikh who was primarily responsible for bringing the World Cup to Qatar.
It is alleged that Hammam was involved in under-the-table payments to secure the necessary votes for Qatar to be chosen as the host country. Bribery allegations totaling $3.6 million have been reported to ensure that the championship would be held in Qatar.
In 2011, Hammam was banned by FIFA from his position as President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) due to attempts to buy votes. According to the French newspaper L'Equipe, Judge Serge Tournaire issued the international capture order against Hammam on June 22.
This is the third time a capture order has been issued against Hammam, who has not responded to any of the previous summonses. The anti-corruption association Anticor has filed a complaint against former French President Nicolas Sarkozy for suspected corruption in the selection of Qatar as the host country for the 2022 World Cup.
The complaint also targets Claude Guéant, Sarkozy's former right-hand man, publicist François de la Brosse, and former Qatari Prime Minister Hamad Ben Jassem Al Thani. Anticor accuses these individuals of influence peddling, corruption of a foreign public official, organized crime association, illegal campaign financing, and concealment of these crimes.