A Spanish court cleared Brazilian superstar Neymar of corruption accusations connected to his 2013 move from Santos to Barcelona.
According to a statement from the court, the judges decided to clear the nine defendants who were accused in this case, including FC Barcelona, former club presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, Santos FC, and Neymar’s father.
Midway through October, in Barcelona, Neymar’s high-profile trial began. This was less than a month before the start of the Fifa World Cup in Qatar.
At the end of October, prosecutors unexpectedly dropped their corruption and fraud allegations against all the defendants. They had originally wanted a two-year prison sentence and a 10-million-euro ($10.5 million) punishment for Neymar.
When Neymar was playing for Santos, the Brazilian sports investment company DIS owned 40% of his athletic rights. In 2015, the company filed a lawsuit, alleging fraud during the player’s move to Barcelona.
It asserted that Neymar, Barcelona, and the Brazilian club conspired to conceal the exact cost of the player’s transfer, defrauding it of its rightful portion of the transfer fee.
Additionally, DIS claimed that it was not made aware of the exclusivity agreement signed by Neymar and Barcelona in 2011.
However, Spanish prosecutors, who at first agreed with DIS, eventually stated that the firm’s claims were not supported by “proof.” They came to the conclusion that the case belonged in civil court, not criminal.
As permitted by Spanish law, the court was simultaneously reviewing a separate indictment submitted by DIS, so the case continued even after the prosecution dropped its allegations.
Barca reported that the move cost 57.1 million euros, of which 6.8 million euros were provided to DIS and 40 million euros were paid to N&N and Santos. At first, Spanish prosecutors claimed they thought the real value was at least 83 million euros.
Neymar said in court that he couldn’t recall whether he participated in the transfer negotiations and that he merely signed the paperwork his father gave him to.
Initial requests from DIS, a supermarket chain owner in Sao Paulo, Brazil, sought a five-year prison term for Neymar and his father, who serves as the player’s agent.
However, at the conclusion of the trial, it advocated for a reduced prison sentence of four years for Neymar’s father and two and a half years for Neymar, but the defendants were found not guilty.
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