March 24 – The Spanish public prosecutor is demanding prison sentences for Barcelona’s current and previous president, Josep Bartomeu and his predecessor Sandro Rosell, and a hefty fine for the club over the alleged tax evasion case involving the now-infamous Neymar transfer.
In a statement, the prosecutor calls for jail terms of more than two years for Bartomeu and over seven years for Rosell, and for Barca to be fined a massive €22,202,750 for allegedly false accounting in the tax returns of 2011, 2013 and 2014.
Investigating judge Pablo Ruz had already cited Bartomeu and Rosell for their alleged roles in the 2013 signing of the Brazil star, claiming the club and its management concealed the real cost of the signing.
The judge said Neymar cost at least €83.3 million while Barcelona say they paid €57 million. Tax was calculated on the lower figure.
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 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.”
Barcelona have consistently denied they have committed any criminal offence but controversy has consistently surrounded the Neymar deal. 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.
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