Zurich, Feb 18 (IANS): FIFA's ethics committee has launched an investigation into the legitimacy of a $100,000 money transfer in late 1990s from its suspended president Sepp Blatter to then-president of the Russian Football Union Vyacheslav Koloskov, according to media reports.

The reports said between 1998 and 2000 Koloskov was about to become a member of the world football's governing body FIFA executive committee and receive a bonus of $100,000, which he was eventually paid by Blatter although the Russian had no official post in FIFA at that time, reported Tass on Wednesday.

The reports also allege that the sum could have been higher at $125,000.

Blatter said he made the payment for consultation services provided by Koloskov at that time within the frames of the Goal Program, designed to help football development worldwide. The money transfer, however, was not agreed upon with the financial committee and other top executives of FIFA.

Last October, FIFA and European football's governing body UEFA presidents, Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini respectively, were suspended from their posts as part of the investigation into corruption allegations against them. Among a number of corruption allegations, Blatter is suspected of a disloyal payment of 2 million Swiss francs to UEFA president Platini in February 2011.

On December 21, the previously suspended officials were both banned for eight years by FIFA's Ethics Committee from all international football activities over allegedly illegal financial transfer from FIFA to Platini.