The Public Prosecutor’s Office requests 5 years in prison and a 10 million euro fine for the former president of FC Barcelona Sandro Rosell for the crimes of corruption in business and fraud in the signing of striker Neymar da Silva, for whom he also requests 2 years of prison and another 10 million fine for a crime of corruption in business.
Instead, it exonerates the former president of the Barça entity, Josep Maria Bartomeu, vice president when the events occurred, understanding that despite signing the allegedly fraudulent contracts to sign the Santos striker, between 2011 and 2013, he was not an active part of the talks.
The oral trial will begin on October 17, in the Sixth Section of the Barcelona Court, and will last until October 31 and the Brazilian fund DIS and the Federation of Associations of Professional Athletes of Brazil (FAAP) will appear as private accusations. .
Until the time of the transfer to Barça, DIS was the holder of 40% of Neymar’s economic rights, after the agreement reached in 2009 with the footballer, now at PSG, and to whom he paid the equivalent of 2 million euros.
However, and although Barcelona ended up disbursing 25.17 million to Santos for the player’s rights and another 60 million for various concepts to N & N Consultoria Esportiva, the family company run by Neymar’s father, DIS only received 6.8 million, for his 40%.
This company now claims compensation for damages of 150 million euros, 5 years in prison for the player and another 8 years in prison for Rosell and Bartomeu.
Likewise, the FAAP considers that, in that allegedly fraudulent operation between Barcelona and Santos, their rights, established for social purposes and consisting of a small percentage of the transfer rights, were also violated.
In addition to Neymar, Rosell and Bartomeu, the player’s father and mother are accused, for whom the prosecution asks for 2 years and 1 year in prison for two separate crimes of corruption in business, and the former director of Santos Odilio Rodrígues, for whom he asks three years in prison for the crime of fraud.
Three legal entities will also be tried for their participation in the case: FC Barcelona, Santos FC and N & N Consultoría Esportiva, for which the prosecution requests fines of 8.4, 7 and 1.44 million euros, respectively.
The transfer of Neymar has been going through a legal process for years, with several open fronts that have caused numerous legal and financial problems for FC Barcelona.
In 2016, the Catalan entity already agreed to pay 5.5 million euros for two tax crimes, in a consent sentence that made Barça the first football team convicted as a legal person.
That pact with the Prosecutor’s Office allowed the then president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, and his predecessor, Sandro Rosell, to be exonerated from criminal liability.
