Paris Saint-Germain and Brazilian football star Neymar Jr. and eight others were tried in Barcelona on Monday for fraud and corruption in the 2013 transfer of the player from Santos to Barcelona. Spanish prosecutors seek two years in Prison and a $10 million fine. Fines Neymar in euros ($9.8 million).
Paris Saint-Germain and Brazilian football star Neymar Jr. and eight others were on trial in Barcelona on Monday over fraud and corruption charges in his 2013 transfer from Santos to Barcelona.
Spanish prosecutors are seeking two years in Prison and a fine of 10 million euros ($9.8 million) for Neymar. They also demanded five years in Prison for former Barca president Sandro Roselle and a fine of 8.4 million euros for the club. The case centers on a claim by Brazilian investment firm DIS, which owned 40 percent of Neymar’s rights while at Santos and lost its share of player transfers due to an undervalued deal.
DIS is asking for a heavier five-year jail term for Neymar, a total fine of 149 million euros, and the player’s disqualification for any period imposed by the judge. Along with Neymar, 30, who expects to appear in court on Monday morning, the accused include his parents, representatives of the two clubs, former Barca presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Roselle, and ex-Santos president Odilio Rodrigues.
The court has ordered everyone to attend at 10:00 a.m. local time Monday. “Neymar betrayed my client’s trust with the connivance of his parents and the boards of Barcelona and Santos,” DIS lawyer Paul Nasser told a news conference in Barcelona on Thursday.
“The deal cost (between Santos & Barcelona) was 82 million euros, and only 17 million came as an official transfer,” Nasser said. He said Neymar had also not been sold to the highest bidder, as other clubs had made bids of up to 60 million euros for his services.
All defendants have previously repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. Baker McKenzie, the law firm defending Neymar and his family, said in a statement that they would argue that Spanish courts “lack the jurisdiction to prosecute the Neymar family” over the transfer involving a man. Brazilian nationals in Brazil.
Neymar, a key member of Brazil’s team heading to the World Cup in Qatar next month, lost an appeal in Spain’s high court in 2017, clearing the way for a trial. It is unclear whether Neymar will be required to stay for the entire hearing, which expects to last seven days.
Neymar plays for Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday against Marcel, and the side faces Ajaccio in Ligue 1 on Friday before hosting Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League on October 25. The stadium will hear from Barca’s former Andre Curry, the Brazilian point guard, on Monday afternoon. His statement and details about player negotiations expect to be Key in the case.