Authorities in Congo-Brazzaville (Republic of Congo) have applied to Interpol for an international arrest warrant against Jean-Guy Blaise Mayolas, the president of the country's football federation (Fecofoot). Mayolas was convicted of embezzling $1.1 million in funds provided by FIFA and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Mayolas, along with his wife and son, fled the country weeks before the hearing and were tried in absentia this month. Investigators suspect they may be hiding in Cameroon or the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Regional partner police forces have been alerted, and officials are working with financial intelligence units, including France's Tracfin, to freeze assets linked to the case.

The court in Brazzaville convicted Mayolas and his family members on 10 March for money laundering, forgery, and embezzlement. Fecofoot's general secretary, Badji Mombo Wantete, and treasurer, Raoul Kanda, were each sentenced to five years in prison. FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against Mayolas, Wantete, and Kanda last week for alleged financial misconduct, with charges including conflict of interest and forgery under consideration.

It is alleged that Mayolas, since being elected president of Fecofoot in 2018, used a series of shell companies to embezzle FIFA funding. Of the $500,000 sent by FIFA to the federation in 2021 as part of its COVID-19 relief plan, only $20,000 was reportedly paid out to the Congo women's team. Mayolas denied all allegations before his disappearance, describing them as a conspiracy.

Mayolas was suspended by the country's sports ministry last year after being investigated for fraud. FIFA intervened and banned Congo from international football for "third-party interference," leading to forfeited World Cup qualifiers against Tanzania and Zambia in March, with 3-0 victories awarded to the opponents. Congo was reinstated only after Fecofoot was permitted to resume control of its headquarters in Brazzaville.

Source: www.theguardian.com