Neymar cleared of fraud, corruption charges over transfer to Barca

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Brazil forward Neymar has been acquitted of fraud and corruption charges over his 2013 transfer from Santos to Barcelona, a Spanish court ruled on Tuesday, ESPN reported.

Neymar’s father, the two clubs, former Barca presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell and ex-Santos president Odilio Rodrigues have also been found not guilty following a trial in October.

The case, brought by Spanish prosecutors, stemmed from a complaint made by DIS, a Brazilian company that owned 40% of Neymar’s when he was at Santos.

DIS argued they lost out on their rightful cut from the transfer because the true value of the deal was understated by the parties involved.

They were demanding a five-year jail term for Neymar and also requested jail terms for Rosell and Bartomeu, and a total fine of €149m fine for the defendants.

Spanish prosecutors, meanwhile, wanted a two-year prison term for Neymar and the payment of a €10 million fine, plus a five-year jail term for Rosell and an €8.4m fine for Barcelona.