How Hong Kong background of Fifa’s latest corrupt official came in useful as he funnelled bribes back to city
Guam FA president Richard Lai emigrated from Hong Kong as a 16-year-old – US passport holder pleads guilty to taking bribes of almost US$1 million
The United States’ worldwide investigation into corruption in football has claimed its first victim in Asia – and Richard Lai’s extensive links to Hong Kong proved useful as he funnelled bribes to accounts back in the city where he was raised.
Lai, a US passport holder and president of the Guam Football Association since 2001, pleaded guilty in a Brooklyn court to taking about US$1 million in bribes from fellow Asian Football Confederation officials on Friday.
According to remarks in the US House of Representatives from Guam representative Madeline Z Bordallo honouring Lai in 2012, and paying tribute to his late mother in 2009, the Lai family emigrated from Hong Kong to the Pacific Island in 1970, when Lai was 16.
And it seems he maintained his ties – the bribes were wired to bank accounts in the city and the Philippines, according to the US Department of Justice.
Lai’s mother, born in Guangdong, founded a successful cafe on the island, which her kids – five boys and a daughter – turned into a booming business.
