A Spanish court has cleared Brazilian football star Neymar of corruption accusations connected to his 2013 move from Santos to Barcelona.
As per a statement from the court, the judges decided to clear the nine defendants who were accused in this case.
Midway through October, in Barcelona, Neymar’s high-profile trial started. This was less than a month before the start of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
At the end of October, prosecutors unexpectedly dropped their corruption and fraud allegations against all the defendants. They had originally wanted a two-year prison sentence and a 10-million-euro ($10.5 million) punishment for Neymar.
When Neymar was playing for Santos, the Brazilian sports investment company DIS owned 40% of his athletic rights. In 2015, the company filed a lawsuit, alleging fraud during the player’s move to Barcelona.
It asserted that Neymar, Barcelona, and the Brazilian club conspired to conceal the exact cost of the player’s transfer, defrauding it of its rightful portion of the transfer fee.
Additionally, DIS claimed that it was not made aware of the exclusivity agreement signed by Neymar and Barcelona in 2011.
However, Spanish prosecutors, who at first agreed with DIS, eventually stated that the firm’s claims were not supported by proof. They came to the conclusion that the case comes under civil court, not criminal.