Ex-president of Honduras pleads not guilty in Federation Internationale de Football Association probe

Two prominent Latin American football officials pleaded not guilty Tuesday in a NY court over their alleged roles in the corruption scandal engulfing the game’s graft-mired world governing body FIFA.

According to Corrales, Callejas flew out of the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa and was not accompanied by any Honduran or United States official in the plane, media reported.

Former FIFA vice president Juan Angel Napout, center, appears in court on charges of racketeering, conspiracy and wire fraud on December 15, 2015, in NY.

In total, 41 individuals and entities have been charged in the United States in a corruption sweep that has rocked football worldwide and sent FIFA into an unprecedented crisis. He has said he bore no responsibility for the accusations and was ready to defend himself. Honduras’ foreign minister said on Monday, Dec. 14, 2015 that the ex-president, who also served as president of Honduras’ soccer federation, has boarded a private plane with the intention of turning himself in to USA authorities investigating corruption and kickbacks in FIFA, soccer’s scandal-plagued governing body.

They are accused of taking millions of dollars in bribes in return for selling marketing rights for regional tournaments and World Cup qualifying matches.

Imagina has said it would cooperate fully with USA authorities.

A magistrate judge approved a $20 million bond package that cleared the way for Napout’s release to home detention with 24-hour security and video surveillance.

FIFA vice-president Alfredo Hawit, another former HFF President and an interim President of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), was arrested in Zurich on December 3 as part of the same investigation.

About a dozen have pleaded guilty over graft that dates back decades and has threatened to bring Federation Internationale de Football Association to its knees, along with its leadership. Napout had agreed to be extradited from Switzerland. The rest are in various stages of extradition proceedings.