The sports marketer Infront was raided on suspicion of breach of trust and corruption in biathlon.
The headquarters of the sports marketer Infront in Zug, Switzerland, was searched on Monday. This is what the “Spiegel” and the “Zuger Zeitung” report. The Vienna Economic and Corruption Prosecutor’s Office initiated the second raid on the company. Last April, the subsidiary Infront Austria was paid a surprise visit in Salzburg.
The suspicion: those responsible at Infront may have bribed the former president of the World Biathlon Federation (IBU). Anders Besseberg was world president until 2018 and is currently on trial in Buskerud, Norway. Among other things, he is said to have been invited to expensive hunting trips by a former manager of Infront.
Internal investigations
Besserberg asserts that he has stayed out of negotiations since 2005 at the latest. He is also said not to have given Infront any advantages. The marketing giant itself confirmed the search. The allegations are being investigated internally, but Infront does not want to comment further.
When asked, the Vienna public prosecutor’s office said that “further house searches abroad took place yesterday.” The authority does not want to provide further information for reasons of privacy. It is currently unknown whether other locations were searched.
Doubts about cleanliness
In addition to Besseberg, his former deputy Klaus Leistner and the current Infront Austria boss Stefan Krauß are also being investigated. While Leistner rejects all allegations, Krauss keeps a low profile. The focus is on the now retired former Infront manager Volker S. He sold his company to Infront, joined there as a manager and looked after Besseberg.
Volker S. was also the one who went hunting with Besseberg. Infront Austria apparently covered the costs. The former manager initially left inquiries unanswered. The Viennese investigators’ accusation is about infidelity, accepting gifts and the resulting bribery. Bribes were offered and accepted. The doubts about Infront’s cleanliness arise, among other things, from emails that were discovered during the previous raid.