Spanish prosecutors DROP fraud and corruption charges against Neymar
Spanish prosecutors DROP fraud and corruption charges against Neymar: Football superstar’s family blast ‘reckless’ decision to put him on trial over his move from Santos to Barcelona in 2013
- Prosecutors had sought two-year prison term for Neymar over 2013 transfer
- But in a dramatic move they dropped all fraud and corruption charges
- He was accused of colluding to obscure the true cost of his transfer
Spanish prosecutors have dropped all fraud and corruption charges against Brazil forward Neymar.
In a dramatic move, the prosecutor announced the ‘withdrawal of the charges against all the accused and for all the allegations’ they had faced.
They previously demanded a two-year prison term for Neymar and the payment of a 10 million euros fine over his transfer to Barcelona from Santos in 2013.
Neymar, 30, had said he did not remember if he took part in the negotiations which led to an agreement sealed in 2011 with Barcelona over his transfer two years later.
A source close to the Neymar family told Reuters that their legal representatives Baker Mckenzie would claim costs against the private prosecution for what they consider recklessness, acting in poor faith and for abuse of process.
They will also reserve the right to claim for damages.
The trial was the culmination of a years-long legal saga over Neymar’s 2013 move to Spain.
Spanish prosecutors have dropped all fraud and corruption charges against Brazil forward Neymar
He then joined Qatar-owned PSG in a world record 222-million-euro transfer in 2017.
Neymar – one of the sport’s most recognisable figure – was one of nine defendants on trial on corruption-related charges, among them his parents and their N&N company, which manages his affairs.
Investigators began probing the transfer after a 2015 complaint filed by DIS, a Brazilian company that owned 40 percent of the player’s sporting rights when he was at Santos.
Barcelona said the transfer cost 57.1 million euros, but prosecutors believe it was at least 83 million euros.
The club said it paid 40 million euros to N&N and 17.1 million to Santos, of which 6.8 million was given to DIS.
But DIS alleged that Neymar, Barcelona and the Brazilian club colluded to mask the true cost of the deal.
Among the other defendants were two former Barca presidents, Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, and ex-Santos boss Odilio Rodrigues Filho.
Neymar’s abrupt departure for PSG five years ago sparked a string of legal disputes, with Barcelona withholding its contract extension bonus and suing the player for breach of contract, as Neymar countersued.
Both sides eventually reached an ‘amicable’ out-of-court settlement in 2021.
The footballer is having one of his best seasons since he joined PSG.
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