CONMEBOL publishes anti corruption measures after being engulfed in FIFA bribery scandal

ASUNCION, Paraguay(AP) _ The CONMEBOL soccer body will begin publishing the salary of its president and executive council members after being plunged into crisis by the FIFA bribery scandal.

The South American governing body published the anti-corruption measures Wednesday. They also include the creation of a new post for an independent expert overseeing its implementation.

CONMEBOL also wants to run background checks on potential commercial partners, and improve the drafting of contracts so they can include anti-corruption clauses. Annual audit reports will also be published on CONMEBOL’S site.

“The objective of the Compliance and Enforcement Program is ensuring greater efficiency and transparency in the CONMEBOL’s performance, confirming the strong commitment of our confederation to increasing the integrity of all of its processes and operations,” the soccer body based in Paraguay’s capital said in a statement.

The U.S. Justice Department has indicted 14 soccer officials and businessmen on charges of bribery, racketeering, and money laundering. Among them are two former CONMEBOL presidents, who are fighting extradition to the U.S.

Paraguay recently repealed the immunity that CONMEBOL’s headquarters enjoyed for nearly two decades. It included protection from the kind of raids that happened in May at FIFA and CONCACAF headquarter.rs in Switzerland and Miami.

The North and Central American and Caribbean governing body published similar anti-corruption proposals earlier this month after its past two presidents and general secretaries were implicated in an American federal investigation of racketeering in international soccer.

The reform proposals include: Imposing term limits on CONCACAF presidents and executive committee members; appointing outsiders to the policy-making executive panel and publishing salaries and expenses of top officials.