Ecuador orders arrest of soccer chief

Ecuador on Saturday ordered the arrest of National Football Federation (FEF) president Luis Chiriboga after he was named by the US officials as one of the 16 people connected with a multi-million dollar bribery scheme.

   Chiriboga has been suspended by the FEF board on Friday for a period of 90 days, after his bank accounts, and those of two other FEF officials, were frozen by prosecutors, and the FEF offices in the southwest coastal city of Guayaquil were searched.

   The FEF's vice president, Luis Villacis, was put in charge after Chiriboga was suspended from his post.

   The measures came after U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch accused 16 former and current football officials in Latin America, including Chiriboga, of corruption.

   Ecuadoran Attorney General Galo Chiriboga said Friday at a press conference that information from Lynch's office has been added to the investigation over the FEF officials. 

   "These crimes were committed in Ecuador, therefore Ecuadoran justice department and the National Attorney General's Office have all the constitutional rights to investigate them," said Galo Chiriboga.

   Luis Chiriboga's lawyer, meanwhile, told reporters he had the evidence to clear his client of the charges and would provide them when the time came.  Endi