Neymar, the forward for the Brazilian National Football Team, no longer faces the possibility of imprisonment after Spanish prosecutors withdrew, on Friday, October 28, the charges of fraud and corruption against the football player, his parents, and several high-ranking football executives involved in his transfer to Barcelona in 2013.
However, the trial will continue because the Brazilian investment group DIS, which initiated the case, has maintained the accusation that the parties involved committed fraud and corruption.
DIS claims that it received much less than the 40% it would have been entitled to as a co-owner of Neymar’s player rights at the time.
Barcelona paid Santos 17 million euros for Neymar in July 2013. But DIS – which held 40% of Neymar’s rights during his time at Santos – stated that much higher amounts were involved in the transfer.
The public prosecutor announced the decision to archive the case after hearing testimonies from former Barcelona executives Sandro Rosell and Josep Bartomeu. State prosecutor Luis García told the court that he saw no evidence that a crime was committed.
All defendants deny any wrongdoing.
State prosecutors sought a two-year prison sentence and a fine of 10 million euros (US$ 10 million) for Neymar. They also wanted five years for Rosell and three years for former Santos president, Odilio Rodrigues.
DIS is seeking five years in prison for Neymar, 30 years for his father, Rosell, and Bartomeu. DIS also wants compensation of 34 million euros and a fine of 195 million euros to be paid by the defendants to the Spanish state.
DIS, which owns a supermarket chain in the São Paulo region, said it acquired rights to receive 40% of a future transfer of Neymar in 2009. But the company claims it only received its due percentage of the 17 million euros that Barcelona and Santos initially announced as the transfer fee between the clubs. However, the group alleges that the actual cost was around 82 million euros.
The expectation is that the trial will conclude on Monday.