Judge Jose de la Mata has proposed that Josep Maria Bartomeu, current president of Barcelona, andwinger Neymar should be tried for crimes relating to the Brazilian's transfer to the Catalan club in 2013. The club itself will also be on trial, along with Neymar and his parents, as an ongoing case relating to tax fraud surrounding the Brazilian's transfer from Santos continues. In January 2014, the prosecutor's office in Madrid began investigating the transfer fee paid by Barcelona and found that documents submitted by the club contained contradictory information, including the amount paid to the Brazilian forward's parents. Prosecutors have previously called for prison sentences to be handed to Bartomeu at the very least. It was revealed that a contract signed in 2011 by Neymar meant he would receive 40 million euros to sign in the future for Barcelona; this consequently altered the free market of signing players, constituting the crime of private corruption.
Judge de la Mata said: "If the objective of this contract was to directly alter the free market of players, then it is reasonable to think that the two officers (Rosell and Bartomeu) were just as responsible for the decision and aware of its illegality. "Both knew the full circumstances when they decided to sign this contract." The judge also considers the player's parents responsible, as they were considered legal representatives of both entities. Neymar is not the only Barcelona star to have been involved in a tax fraud scandal in recent times, after Lionel Messi and father Jorge were found guilty of a similar offence earlier this year.
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