Spanish court rejects Neymar's appeal in corruption case.
Brazilian striker Neymar, of Barcelona, is one step away from being judged, after the Spanish courts rejected his appeal in the case for crimes of fraud and corruption between private individuals stemming from the player's signing with the Catalan club; magistrates recall "as a precedent, with the differences between the facts that are the subject of the proceedings, the case of Leo Messi, who alleged the same defensive arguments and, finally, was judged, being sentenced to 21 months in prison for tax evasion."
Da Radio France International - In a ruling released this Monday (20), the National Court, Spain's main criminal court, denied the appeals of Neymar, Barcelona as a legal entity, the Santos club, where the player played, and the company N&N, created by the player's parents. For the striker to sit in the defendant's chair, it only remains for the investigating judge in the case to authorize the start of the trial.
In his appeal, Neymar claimed that he "had been dedicating himself exclusively to playing football, placing his absolute, blind trust in his father," who was the player's exclusive agent (responsible for exploiting his image and managing his professional career), according to the court document.
In light of this, the judges cite "as a precedent, with the differences between the facts that are the subject of the proceedings, the case of Leo Messi, who alleged the same defensive arguments and was ultimately tried and sentenced to 21 months in prison for a tax offense."
Transfer from Santos to Barça
The denial of the appeal means that Neymar will be tried within the framework of the investigation for alleged "fraud" and "corruption between private parties" in the contracts for his transfer from Santos to Barcelona, following a complaint from the Brazilian group DIS, the former owner of part of the player's rights, which considered itself harmed in the operation.
Initially, Barcelona officially valued Neymar's transfer at €57,1 million (€40 million for Neymar's family and €17,1 million for Santos), but the Spanish courts estimate it was at least €83,3 million.
DIS, which received €6,8 million of the €17,1 million paid to Santos, estimates that Neymar and Barça colluded to conceal the true amount of the transfer.
The Spanish prosecutor's office is requesting a two-year prison sentence for Neymar for "corruption in the transaction" in this case, while DIS, acting as the prosecution, has requested a five-year prison sentence for "corruption between private individuals."