Former Peru football chief Burga cleared of corruption charges
New York: Former Peru football chief Manuel Burga has been acquitted of corruption charges by a jury in the United States.
The 60-year-old on Tuesday was found not guilty of racketeering, just days after the same jury delivered guilty verdicts on multiple charges against two other former officials, Juan Napout of Paraguay and Jose Maria Marin of Brazil, reports Xinhua news agency.
US prosecutors have indicted dozens of Latin American football officials as part of a corruption crackdown that has reached the highest levels of world football governing body FIFA.
In October, former Guatemalan football federation head Hector Trujillo was the first person to be sentenced as part of the probe. He received an eight-month jail term after pleading guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy.
Burga, once a FIFA development executive, served as the president of the Peruvian football federation for 12 years until 2014.
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Mangaluru: Man arrested for posing as Lokayukta official
Mangaluru (Karnataka) (PTI): A man was arrested for posing as a Lokayukta officer and attempting to extort money via WhatsApp, Ullal police said.
According to a press release from the Commissioner of Police, Mangaluru, Dhananjaya Reddy Thota (31) allegedly called Purushottam, a panchayat officer, posing as a Lokayukta official. He demanded money to "resolve" an alleged corruption case. Suspicious of the caller’s identity, Purushottam alerted authorities, prompting an investigation.
Tracing the call led police to Andhra Pradesh, where Thota was apprehended on Saturday. Preliminary investigations revealed that he had no connection to the Lokayukta and was using the scheme to exploit officials by leveraging fear of legal action.
Ullal police are now probing whether Thota was involved in similar scams elsewhere. The case highlights the need for vigilance against such fraudulent activities targeting government employees.
Thota has been remanded to police custody and further investigations are underway.
