‘Project Matterhorn’, Qatar’s plan to spy on Swiss prosecutor investigating FIFA

Qatar spied on a former Swiss attorney general and illegally overheard a secret meeting with the FIFA chief, fearing he would be stripped of hosting the 2022 World Cup.

As the Swiss weekly NZZ am Sonntag reports, Qatar has staged an intelligence operation to spy on an informal meeting that took place six years ago between Switzerland’s attorney general, Michael Lauber, and FIFA chief Gianni Infantino.

The newspaper said its months-long investigation revealed that the secret meeting in Bern on June 16, 2017, which after being revealed cost Lauber his job, had been secretly recorded for Qatar. According to the German newspaper NZZ am Sonntag, the room where the meeting took place was equipped with microphones.

At the time, Lauber’s office was investigating allegations of massive corruption in world football, including irregularities in the decision to award Qatar the 2022 World Cup.

However, when it became known that he had three informal meetings with Infantino, including the one in 2017, he had to step down.

The meeting was held at the luxurious Hotel Schweizerhof, run by Qatari owners since 2009in a conference room in the same hallway as the Qatari embassy, ​​NZZ reported.

Various investigations revealed that, fearing to lose the right to host the 2022 World Cup due to accusations of corruption and human rights abuses, Qatar launched an international influence operation. The country spied on FIFA officials and Lauber, according to the NZZ, which claimed to have obtained “secret official documents proving the espionage action” at the Schweizerhof.

The newspaper also said sources with direct knowledge of the incident described the operation, on condition of anonymity, and said that it was codenamed “Project Matterhorn” (for the Matterhorn).

The sources said the main purpose of spying was to gather incriminating material that could be used to pressure the prosecutor.

The investigation adds to data revealed last November when Swiss media SRF and Swiss Info detailed that Qatar orchestrated a large-scale, long-term intelligence operation against Fifa officials in which he spent hundreds of millions of dollars in hacking operations to guarantee the organization of the World Cup 2022.

As this survey revealed, the State of Qatar ordered the “Ruthless Project” to secure the World Cup bid after massive criticism sparked by FIFA awarding the tournament to the controversial country in 2010. The plan was huge: the budget was $387 million. And the activities have spread to all five continents. In fact, the highest levels of the Qatari government were involved in espionage activities, including the current head of state, the Emir of Qatar.

The documents show that the project wanted to ensure that nothing could jeopardize the celebration of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

This article was originally published on GlobeLiveMedia.com