Albanian authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Leyton Orient’s Italian owner Francesco Becchetti is wanted by Albanian authorities as part of a probe into laundering and fraud.The 48-year-old and his mother, along with two business associates, are accused of defrauding the Eastern European government of tens of millions of euros in grants and unpaid taxes in relation to a hydroelectric scheme that was never built. prosecutors of offences relating to a hydroelectric scheme that was never built
The arrest warrant comes a t a time when the football world is still reeling from the mass scale corruption offences committed by most senior football officials in FIFA to the tune of £150m . This fraudulent allegation has no connection with the sort that saw the U.S. ministry of justice engineer the gatecrashing of the FIFA presidential elections that led to big scalps locked up in police cells and subsequently charged for mega money laundering and hefty bribes that forced the venues of World cups to be altered. Nevertheless, the Italian soccer mogul who made his fortune in waste disposal and recycling could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted for the allegations brought against him. His assets in Albania could also be seized.
Becchetti owns 90%of the club’s stake after he bought the club £4m last July, but reportedly wanted to sell the club following its demotion last year. Leyton Orient is 4th tier ion the English Football league system, with the club only getting the F.A final in its entire history in 1978 Orient finished second to the bottom. of the league, after winning just 12 of its 46 matches. Bechetti generally spends most of his time in Italy.
