By Mark Baber
February 4 – The saga of Diego Maradona’s tax woes in Italy has taken another turn with his solicitor, Angelo Pisani, claiming that the Argentine’s tax bill, had been cleared by the Central Tax Commission, a claim that has been dismissed by Italy’s tax collection agency, the Agenzia delle Entrate.
Pisani, told Italian press agency, ANSA, his client had been cleared of a tax bill of almost €40 million, of which €36 million was interest built up since 1984, when Maradona joined Serie A club Napoli.
Pisani said Maradona “can return to Italy a free man. He is free from every debt because he was never a tax evader. He said he will return to Naples to say hello to the city, the Neapolitans and hopefully the football too.”
He said his client would be claiming at least €40 million in damages for damage to personal image, equity and loss of opportunity “suffered in these years of persecution”.
However, later in the day, the Agenzia delle Entrate issued a statement saying the Argentine had not been pardoned over tax debts.
“The central tax commission has not annulled, declared extinct, nor modified the debt that Mr Diego Maradona has with the Italian tax authorities,” said the statement.
Indeed the Agenzia said they had rejected a request to cancel the debt and is considering if there are grounds for action against Pisani.
Italian authorities have been pursuing Maradona for the outstanding tax bill which relates to the sale of image rights during the time he played for Napoli from 1984-91. In 2005, an Italian court http://www.thescore.ie/diego-maradona-tax-778706-Feb2013/ ordered Maradona to pay €37.2m, €23.5m of which was interest.
When he went to Naples for a benefit match in 2006, police stripped him of two Rolex watches worth £8,700. In 2008, his payment for appearing on “Dancing with Stars” was confiscated. When he visited a weight loss clinic in 2009 his diamond earrings, worth £3,500 were taken.
The case was reopened in 2011 due to a series of procedural errors and also involves Brazilians Careca and Alemao who also donned the blue of Napoli.
Maradona is among the greatest football players of all time, and remains Napoli’s all-time top scorer and led the club to the Serie A title in 1987 and 1990.
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