MILAN — Suspected football match-fixer Admir Suljic was taken into custody early yesterday after landing at Milan’s Malpensa airport on a flight from Singapore, Italian police said.
Suljic is wanted by judicial authorities in the city of Cremona investigating a massive match-fixing case that already has brought the arrests of more than 50 people, with more than 150 under investigation.
Police said Suljic had been on the run since Dec. 2011 and was considered a “key element” in the Last Bet operation. Police say he spent significant time in Singapore in close contact with the alleged fixing organization’s chiefs.
Earlier yesterday, Interpol secretary general Ronald Noble said Singaporean police had notified authorities in Italy that a suspected match-fixer was flying to Milan.
Speaking at a match-fixing conference in Malaysia, Noble said the man was wanted in Italy because he is allegedly working for Singaporean businessman Tan Seet Eng — known as Dan Tan — for whom Italian authorities have issued an arrest warrant.
Italian police said Suljic wanted to turn himself in to Italian authorities and that he faces charges of criminal association and sports fraud.
Noble earlier said the arrest would be “important because the world believes that law enforcement can’t do anything to take down this criminal organization, the world believes that [Tan] and his associates can’t be touched, that they are above the law.”
In November, Serbian footballer Almir Gegic, who also had been wanted by Italian authorities, turned himself in at Malpensa.
Tan is accused of heading a crime syndicate that made millions of dollars betting on rigged Italian football matches. Italian officials have been unable to take Tan into custody as the arrest warrant cannot be served while he’s in Asia.
“We will follow the rule of law,” Noble said. “The hope is that [the suspect] will cooperate with law enforcement and tell us all he knows.”
Acknowledging that Singapore has come under criticism for not detaining Tan, Noble said authorities there were restrained because they had to follow their own laws and only could take action when there was enough evidence.
Nevertheless, Noble added investigators worldwide have been slow to catch up with match-fixers because they were so far “not properly prepared to work together” and share enough information with their international counterparts.
FIFA head of security Ralf Mutschke said earlier at the Malaysian conference he hopes Tan will be brought to face the courts with the help of Singaporean authorities.
Singapore’s police have said they are reviewing information submitted by the Italian authorities in Tan’s case before deciding what action to take.