Mediapro has issued an unusual statement denying “each and every one of the statements made by Imagina or its representatives” regarding the case of bribery of senior FIFA officials since the holding company signed an agreement with the Justice Department of the United States for the affair, in 2018, in relation to three assumptions. First, when the group denied “that Imagina was responsible for, or participated in, the criminal conduct of three of its then workers.” Also when it was denied “that during the investigation carried out by the Department of Justice was found evidence of the criminal responsibility of Imagina, based on the conduct of the said three ex-workers.” And finally, when it has been suggested “that the said criminal conduct was confined to two, instead of three workers.”
The matter was not brought to trial, under an agreement that, among other measures, involved the payment of $ 24 million and also the admission of guilt by the subsidiary Imagina US. It is precisely the way in which this case has been explained in some of the group’s interventions that has led the Justice Department to force the holding company to which Mediapro belongs to reject the statements in cases where an excessive disengagement was being drawn up.
“Imagine [hòlding de Mediapro] acknowledges its responsibility, as a legal entity, for the criminal conduct of its representatives, “the note reads, adding that” this criminal conduct included the payment of bribes for the purchase of the audiovisual rights of the classification phase in the regions. of Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF) for the 2014, 2018 and 2022 World Cups, which violates U.S. law. “
The shadow of FIFAgate has since haunted the group and the case of the United States has been used as a lever for much closer rights wars. In April 2019, the president of the Federation, Luis Rubiales, urged the entity’s board to reject Mediapro’s candidacy as holder of the rights to the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. He argued the company violated the Federation’s code of ethics, which prevents it from establishing business links with companies that have been convicted of blackmail cases.
Imagina, on the other hand, uses the note to clarify that “none of the activities that develop its other lines of business, such as audiovisual and content production, were involved in the investigation of the Department of Justice.” of the USA. And he also remarks that “ Mediaproducción SL, the company that operates, among other businesses, the audiovisual rights division of Imagina both in Spain and in other countries of the world, was not accused of, convicted by, or used to execute the conduct described in the aforementioned investigations “.
Following the FIFAgate case, and in addition to paying the millionaire fine, the company was forced to adopt a series of control and double authorization measures. Last summer, in fact, it obtained the highest anti-corruption certificate (ISO 37001) for its main companies in Spain, Portugal and the United States. Of the money from the sanction, part was to be used to compensate the Caribbean Football Union ($ 3 million) and the federations of Honduras (1.7 million), Guatemala (0.8), Costa Rica (0 , 6) and of the Savior (0.5). He also had to return the profits he had made from these irregular payments.
The US subsidiary ended up pleading guilty after the FBI, in charge of an investigation that had lasted three years, had provided evidence that the total amount of bribes was 6.5 million of dollars. In addition, American justice forced her to publicly acknowledge the conviction.
Three senior officials involved
The statement said: “Three workers were involved in this criminal conduct, two of whom pleaded guilty to paying several bribes. The third, a former CEO of Imagina, accepted the payment of a bribe of $ 1.5 million to get the rights to the qualifying phase. And he authorized, directed and facilitated the payment of $ 500,000 of that total amount. “
Two of these workers are Roger Huguet and Fabio Tordin, who were arrested in 2015 as a result of the investigation, and who have already been fired from Mediapro. The third in question is Gerard Romy, one of the founding partners of the company and considered number 3 of the holding company. In his case, in addition to leaving the conglomerate as a worker, he also gave up the actions.
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