January 8 – Italy’s highest court has cleared the late Argentine legend Diego Maradona of tax evasion charges, ending a 30-year-long legal battle.
Maradona, who died in November 2020 from a heart attack, had been accused of allegedly using proxy companies in Liechtenstein to dodge legal fees when receiving payments between 1985 and 1990 from Napoli for his personal image rights.
“It is over and I can clearly state without fear of being contradicted that Maradona has never been a tax evader,” his lawyer, Angelo Pisani, told Reuters.
Investigations into his tax payments started in the early 1990s and resulted in charges of €37 million.
Pisani added that the final verdict “does justice to fans, to the values of sport, but mostly to the memory of Maradona”.
“It places a grave stone on a persecution that he suffered for 30 years,” he said.
“…The heirs now have a legal right to claim damages,” Pisani said. “I hope that they use it, in memory of their father.”
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