Spanish Court Exonerates Neymar Of Corruption Charges

Spanish prosecutors on Friday dismissed their allegations against Brazilian forward, Neymar of fraud and corruption.

In a case involving the Brazilian’s 2013 transfer from Santos to Barcelona, the Paris Saint-Germain forward was also found not guilty of the other charges against him. The prosecutor made a stunning announcement, “withdrawing the charges against all the defendants and all the allegations,” that had been made against them. The 30-year-old had previously stated that he was unable to recall whether he participated in the negotiations that resulted in a contract being signed with Barcelona in 2011 regarding his transfer from Brazilian club Santos to the Spanish team two years later. Neymar, a key player for the Brazilian team that will travel to the World Cup in Qatar later this month, had faced a two-year prison sentence from Spanish authorities as well as a 10 million euro ($9.7 million) fine. The dismissal of the accusations marks the end of a protracted judicial battle involving Neymar’s highly publicized move to Europe. Then, in a 2017 transfer that set a global record, he joined Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain. Neymar was one of nine defendants who were on trial for alleged corruption-related offences, including his parents and their N&N company, which handles his business activities.

This article was originally published on Naija News