The Brazilian striker Neymar will go on trial the following week on allegations of fraud and corruption related to his 2013 move from Santos to Barcelona, and the complainant, Brazilian investment group DIS, said on Thursday that it was seeking a five-year prison sentence. Neymar, his parents, the two clubs, former Barça presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, and former Santos president Odilio Rodrigues are all defendants in the Spanish government’s trial, which gets underway in Barcelona on Monday.
The action is the result of a complaint filed by DIS, a Brazilian business that had 40% of Neymar’s rights while he played for Santos. It claims that because the genuine worth of the agreement was undervalued, it was cheated out of its proper share of the transfer. Neymar has refuted the accusations, but in 2017, the High Court of Spain rejected his appeal, clearing the way for the trial. Representatives for Neymar and his parents have been contacted by Reuters for comment. Rosell has furthermore in the past denied any misconduct. A request for comment was not answered by his agents.
Barcelona and the legal team defending Bartomeu declined to comment on the situation. Requests for comment from Rodrigues and Santos were not immediately answered. In addition, DIS is asking for jail terms for Rosell and Bartomeu as well as a 149 million euro ($144 million) fine. Neymar is seeking a two-year prison sentence and a punishment of 10 million euros, and Rosell is seeking a five-year sentence and a fine of 8.4 million euros for the Spanish club.
DIS paid 2 million euros for 40% of Neymar’s rights when he was 17 years old. It contends that the player was sold to Barcelona for a significant discount to his true market worth. When Neymar moved, Barcelona reported that the transfer fee was 57.1 million euros, of which 40 million euros were given to Neymar’s family. The remaining $17.1 million that went to Santos was split 40% between DIS and Santos.
‘The rights to Neymar have not been offered to the highest bidder. Clubs made offers of up to 60 million euros,’ Paulo Nasser, an attorney for DIS, stated during a news conference on Thursday in Barcelona. Neymar will be required to appear in person in court in Barcelona on Monday for the first day of the trial, however it is not clear if he would be required to remain throughout the entire hearing, which could last two weeks. The testimony of Neymar, his parents, Rosell, and Bartomeu will begin the following Friday.
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