March 16 – Barcelona may be holding on to their lead in La Liga but off the field the club have become ever more deeply embroiled in the Neymar tax fraud case.
Barcelona and their directors are accused of defrauding Spanish authorities of about €9 million of tax by trying to hide the actual cost of the deal that brought Neymar to the club in 2013.
Last month during a court hearing Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu reportedly pointed the finger for any wrongdoing at his predecessor Sandro Rosell. But a Spanish judge has decided to send both of them – and the club itself – to trial over the allegations. Investigative magistrate Pablo Ruz decided there was enough evidence to proceed.
Bartomeu was a vice-president under Rosell at the time of the transfer and insists neither he nor the club and their officials had intentionally committed tax fraud.
But Ruz said the probe found Neymar cost, at a minimum, €83.3 million in stark contrast to Barcelona’s figure of €57 million. Ruz said the state investigation uncovered seven contracts signed by Barcelona and various companies owned by Neymar’s father and agent.
“These seven contracts were designed with different ends, but taken together they were used to cover up or hide the higher cost of the player’s transfer for FCB,” a court statement said. “All of them also had the goal of eluding or lowering payments to the Tax Office in a surreptitious manner.”
Controversy has surrounded the Neymar deal ever since Barcelona admitted they paid more for the player than initially disclosed. Rosell, who was a prominent voice at the European Club Association, resigned from Barca last year over the matter but maintains his innocence as does Bartomeu.
But in making his decision Ruz called both men and Neymar’s father to give evidence, and decided that the club should stand trial for “crimes against the public tax agency” and for “dishonest” management.
Barcelona, as they have all along, were quick to deny the allegations and said they planned to appeal, questioning the timing of Ruz’s verdict.
“The Club, both with regard to this case and other aggressions received in its 115 years of history, will not tolerate such actions, especially when it has offered to collaborate and explain, from the start, all of the events surrounding the transfer of the player Neymar Jr.,” a statement said.
“The club shall immediately press charges against the unusual speed with which the procedures are being carried out. A speed that does not respect the usual rates for such procedures, nor offers guarantees for the parties, such as, for example, the fact that to date no statement by the FC Barcelona legal representative has been heard, although this had been agreed with the magistrate.”
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