On Wednesday, Spain’s Supreme Court confirmed the acquittal of former Barcelona player Neymar, along with former club presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, regarding allegations of fraud and corruption related to the 2013 transfer of the Brazilian star from his youth club, Santos.
The Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court stated on Wednesday that it dismissed the appeal against the 2022 decision made by the Barcelona Provincial Court, which had previously concluded that no criminal activity occurred during the player’s acquisition.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court determined that the established facts illustrate “the inconsistency of the prosecution’s case.”
“There was no corruption in the business transactions, nor any improper fraud, neither on the part of the player, his agents, nor FC Barcelona,” the ruling from the Supreme Court indicated.
Prosecutors had requested a two-year prison sentence for Neymar and a fine of β¬10 million ($9.95m) in the case initiated by Brazilian investment firm DIS, which held 40% of Neymar’s rights while he was at Santos.
DIS contended that it was deprived of its rightful share from the transfer due to the undervaluation of the actual worth.
DIS received β¬6.8m — 40% of Neymar’s official transfer fee of β¬17.1m — but Barral asserted that this amount was unrealistic considering the player’s market value.
