Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu has confirmed the club will pay a €5.5m fine for tax irregularities in the signing of Neymar.
AS reports the club’s board voted 14-2, with two abstentions, in favour of the agreement reached between the prosecutor and the Barca legal team to close the tax authorities’ investigation into the 2013 signing of the Brazil forward.
It’s said that Bartomeu, his predecessor as President Sandro Rosell, and the club itself will be liable to pay the fine, but Bartomeu explained that if any party isn’t able to afford their share, the club will pay it.
Bartomeu and Rosell have also been exonerated of any wrong-doing in the Neymar signing, with the club as a legal entity assuming responsibility, and the discrepancy in tax paid on the transfer and the amount that should have been due ascribed to an error in tax planning.
“Neither Rosell nor I did anything wrong. We weren’t at fault. The club, yes. We only signed a player. There have been errors of planning. We accept the penalty and agree to stop the process. We made the best decision for the club,” Sport quotes Bartomeu as saying.
The Neymar move from Santos is still the subject of legal action involving investment firm DIS, who owned a portion of the player’s economic rights and allege they were defrauded out of the full amount due when the transfer was executed.
