Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar appears in court over 2013 Barcelona transfer
By Sammy Mngqosini
Brazil and Paris St-Germain forward Neymar Jr. appeared in a Barcelona court on Monday along with eight others, facing fraud and corruption charges over his 2013 transfer from Santos to Barcelona.
According to Reuters, Neymar arrived from Paris and spent around two hours in the courthouse before being excused by the judge for the rest of the day’s proceedings.
The case was brought on by a Brazilian investment firm DIS, owners of 40% of Neymar’s rights while he was at Santos who allege that his transfer to Barcelona was undervalued.
The 30-year-old is a defendant alongside his parents, former Barcelona presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, representatives of both clubs and Odilio Rodrigues, Santos president.
All nine defendants have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, according to Reuters.
Spanish prosecutors are pursuing a two-year prison term and a $9.8 million fine for Neymar as well as a five-year jail term for Rosell.
Neymar is scheduled to testify on Friday, the same day PSG take on Ajaccio in Ligue 1.
The 30-year-old scored PSG’s winner in Sunday’s Le Classique against Marseille at the Parc des Princes.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
