Neymar and Barcelona to stand trial on fraud and corruption charges
A Spanish court has rejected appeals from all the parties caught up in the DIS complaint
Barcelona and Neymar will both have to stand trial on fraud and corruption charges regarding the Brazilian’s transfer to the club in 2013 after their appeals were rejected on Monday.
Spain’s High Court also turned down final appeals from Santos, Neymar's mother Nadine Goncalves and the family company N&N.
None of the parties will be able to take their appeals any further and will all be cited to appear in court at a date in the future.
However, there has not yet been any announcement on the appeals made by Barça president Josep Maria Bartomeu and his predecessor Sandro Rosell.
The complaint against Neymar and Barça was made by Brazilian investment company DIS, who owned a substantial amount of the player’s rights when he moved to Spain and feel they didn’t receive a fair share of the transfer fee.
Prosecutors seek a two-year prison sentence and a fine of nearly $10 million for Neymar and his father on corruption charges, although they are unlikely to face any jail time if found guilty.
That’s because not only would they be first-time offenders, but sentences of less than two-years are often suspended in Spain.
Prosecutors are also seeking a fine of about $9 million from Barcelona and $7 million from Santos.
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