Neymar faces five-year jail-term request over corruption and fraud trial
Brazil forward Neymar will on Monday stand a trial on fraud and corruption charges over his transfer to Barcelona from Santos in 2013.
According to Reuters, the complainant, Brazilian investment firm DIS, said last Thursday that it was demanding a five-year jail term through its Spanish prosecutors.
Along with Neymar, the defendants in the trial being brought by Spanish prosecutors, which begins in Barcelona on Monday, are his parents, the two clubs former Barca presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell and former Santos president Odilio Rodrigues.
DIS, a Brazilian company that owned 40% of the rights to Neymar when he was at Santos had called out for the case when it argued that it lost out on its rightful cut from the transfer because the true value of the deal was understated.
Neymar has denied the allegations but lost an appeal in Spain’s High Court in 2017, which paved the way for the trial.
The firm is also requesting jail terms for Rosell and Bartomeu, and a 149 million euros ($144 million) fine.
It was reported that the Spanish prosecutors want a two-year prison term for Neymar and the payment of a 10 million euros fine and a five-year jail term for Rosell plus an 8.4 million euros fine for the Spanish club.
DIS had acquired 40% of Neymar’s rights when he was aged 17 in exchange for 2 million euros and it believes that the player’s sale to Barcelona was well below his real market value.
Barcelona said at the time of Neymar’s move that the transfer figure was 57.1 million euros, of which 40 million was paid to Neymar’s family.
DIS received a 40 percent share of the remaining 17.1 million that was paid to Santos.
The court said Neymar will have to appear in-person on Monday for the first day but it is unclear if he will be asked to stay for the whole hearing that could go on for two weeks.
Neymar, who scored the lone goal winner for PSG over Marseille, his parents, Rosell and Bartomeu will start their testimony next Friday.