Neymar, a forward for Brazil, will go on trial the following week on allegations of fraud and corruption related to his 2013 transfer from Santos to Barcelona, and the complainant, Brazilian investment group DIS, announced on Thursday that it was seeking a five-year prison sentence.
Neymar’s corruption and fraud trial may seek for a five-year prison sentence
His parents, the two clubs, former Barça presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, as well as former Santos president Odilio Rodrigues, are all defendants in the case being presented by Spanish prosecutors and set to begin in Barcelona on Monday.
DIS, which had 40% of Neymar’s rights when he was playing for Santos, filed a complaint that led to the current legal situation. The business claims that the full worth of the sale was undervalued, and as a result, it was cheated out of receiving its proper share of the transfer.
Neymar, a vital player for the Brazil squad that will travel to the World Cup in Qatar next month, has refuted the accusations, but in 2017 he was unsuccessful in his attempt to have the case overturned at Spain’s High Court, clearing the way for the trial.
As reported by Reuters, Baker McKenzie, who will be representing Neymar and his family in the trial, will claim that the Spanish courts “without authority to punish the Neymar family” because the transfer involved Brazilian citizens in Brazil.
Neymar would have to serve a two-year prison sentence and pay a fine of 10 million euros, while Rosell would serve a five-year sentence and Barcelona would be required to pay a fine of 8.4 million euros, according to Spanish authorities.
In addition, DIS is asking for Rosell and Bartomeu to be sentenced to prison and to pay a combined fine of 149 million euros.
Any misbehaviour by Rosell has previously been refuted. An inquiry for comment was ignored by his representatives.
Bartomeu’s attorneys and Barcelona declined to comment on the matter. Rodrigues could not be reached right away, and Santos did not respond to a request for comment right away.