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TRANSFER FRAUD: Judge sets damages at €3.4m for Neymar, Barca
As Brazilian forward Neymar faces a fraud trial in Spain in connection with the value placed on his transfer from Santos to Barcelona in 2013, Spanish National High Court Thursday has set bonds of 3,429,768 euros as pecuniary liability to be jointly paid by the defendants.
The 25-year-old Barcelona striker is being investigated in Brazil and Spain over his move to La Liga four years ago.
The case stems from a complaint by a Brazilian company, DIS, that owned 40% of the rights to Neymar when he was at Santos.
DIS argues that it lost out on its rightful cut from the transfer because the true value of the deal was understated.
At the time of Neymar’s move to Spain, Barcelona said the transfer figure was €57.1 million, of which €40 million was paid to Neymar’s family.
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But DIS received a 40% share of the remaining €17.1 million that was paid to Santos. But the court put the actual value of the rights to the player at €25.2 million, and said DIS’s cut should have been based on that amount.
As it stands, Neymar and his parents (who acted as his representatives) are to stand trial over the alleged fraud and corruption.
The two clubs, Barcelona and Santos FC, former and current Barcelona presidents, Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, and former Santos president Odilio Rodrigues, are also defendants in the pending trial, according to a court statement.
“The Judge has set bonds of 3,429,768 euros as pecuniary liability for Rosell, Bartomeu, Rodrigues, Football Club Barcelona and Santos Football Club, which must be paid by all jointly,” the court said in a statement.
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