[ 2016-11-25 ]

Prosecutors seek prison term for Eto’o
Spanish prosecutors are seeking a prison term of
more than 10 years for former Barcelona striker
Samuel Eto’o for alleged tax crimes committed
when he played for the Catalan club.

In addition to a sentence of 10 years and six
months, prosecutors are also demanding a fine of
$15.1 million for the four counts of tax fraud for
supposedly defrauding Spain’s tax authority of
almost $4 million from 2006-09, according to court
documents released Thursday.

Prosecutors are seeking the same punishment for
the player’s representative at the time, Jose
Maria Mesalles Mata.


The administrator of a company that facilitated
the deals, Manuel de Jesus Lastre Abreu, is facing
more than six years in prison and a fine of $2.3
million.

Prosecutors also want Eto’o to relinquish any
possible fiscal incentives for a long period.

Eto’o and his lawyers could not be immediately
contacted for comment, but in the past the player
denied wrongdoing, saying he was not directly
involved in his tax matters.

Eto’o is among other current and past Barcelona
players facing legal problems in Spain.

In July, Lionel Messi and his father were
sentenced to 21 months in prison for tax fraud,
although they were not sent to jail because
sentences of less than two years for first
offences are usually suspended in Spain.

Neymar and Barcelona are dealing with the Spanish
authorities because of the player’s transfer
from Brazilian club Santos in 2013.

Prosecutors on Wednesday announced that they are
seeking to punish the Brazilian player and his
club, as well as his parents, his Brazilian club
and its former president because of an investment
group’s claim that they concealed the value of
the star’s transfer fee.

In June, Barcelona paid a fine of $5.8 million
after acknowledging to Spain’s tax authority it
made “an error in the fiscal planning of the
player’s transfer.”

Also this year, Barcelona midfielder Javier
Mascherano was handed a suspended one-year
sentence for tax fraud, and former defender
Adriano was also charged with tax irregularities.

The 35-year-old Eto’o played for Barcelona from
2004-09.

The Cameroon striker is currently playing with
Turkish club Antalyaspor.

Source - BBC

... go Back