Spanish prosecutors want Neymar tried in fraud case

Spanish prosecutors have requested that legal action be taken against Brazilian football superstar Neymar over alleged fraud surrounding his transfer to Barcelona.

"The prosecutor... considers it appropriate for him to appear as accused," the public prosecutors at the National Court, which specialises in financial affairs and terrorism, said in a ruling released Friday.

Legal action was also requested against the footballer's father, Neymar Sr, as well as the club's former president Sandro Rosell and his successor Josep Maria Bartomeu, and former officials Luis Alvaro de Oliveira and Odilio Rodriguez.

The National Court will now have to decide if there are grounds to follow the public prosecutors' recommendation.

An investigation was opened after a complaint of "fraud" and "corruption" filed at the court in June 2015 by the Brazilian investment fund DIS, which held 40 percent of Neymar's sports rights when he played at Santos.

DIS, which had also filed a complaint in Brazil, has claimed it was cheated of its real share of the benefits of 23-year-old Neymar's transfer in 2013 because part of the transfer fee was concealed by Barcelona and Santos.

The deal was originally valued at 57.1 million euros ($62.1 million) by the Catalan club. But the Spanish judicial authorities have estimated the amount to be at least 83.3 million.

DIS received 6.8 million euros ($7.7 million) out of the total 17.1 million that Barcelona paid to Santos, but claims it may also be due a share of the overall transfer payments.

In a separate lawsuit, a judge in May 2015 ordered Barcelona's president Josep Bartomeu, his predecessor Sandro Rosell and the club itself to stand trial over alleged tax fraud linked to the signing. The scandal led Rosell to resign in January 2014.

It is alleged the overall fee was split between a number of different contracts between Barcelona, Santos and Neymar himself.

In doing so, Barcelona stand accused of defrauding the Spanish taxman of 12.7 million euros.

Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of two years and three months for Bartomeu and seven years for Rosell, as well as a 22.2 million euro fine for the club.

No date for a trial has been set so far.

A Brazilian court has also taken action freezing $47 million in assets belonging to Neymar over tax evasion allegations between 2011 and 2013.
Source: AFP