Spanish court acquits Brazil’s Neymar of fraud

A Spanish court yesterday acquitted Brazilian football star Neymar and other defendants in a fraud and corruption case over his 2013 transfer to Barcelona from Santos after prosecutors dropped all charges, Reuters reported.

The suit had been brought by Brazilian investment firm DIS, the owner of 40 per cent of the rights to Neymar when he was at Santos. He now plays for Paris Saint-Germain.

DIS argued it had lost out on a cut from the transfer because its true value was understated and sought a five-year jail term for Neymar and a total fine of €149 million ($157 million) for the defendants.

In October, prosecutor Luis Garcia Canton asked the Barcelona court to acquit all defendants as there was “not the slightest hint of a crime”.

In addition to Neymar, the list of co-defendants included both his parents and their company, N&N, which manages the Brazilian player’s affairs, in addition to former Barcelona executives Sandro Rosell and Josep Bartomeu and former Santos President Odilio Rodrigues.

READ: Ex-Brazil footballer slams Neymar over his stance on presidential elections