.
FC Barcelona’s Brazilian superstar Neymar has found himself in the middle of tax evasion allegations, and has had his assets in the region of A?31m frozen by a Brazilian federal court.
The Brazilian striker has been accused of evading taxes between 2011 and 2013, when he was with Santos. As per a statement by the Sao Paulo federal court in Brazil, the 23-year-old only declared assets worth A?3.2m and has been accused of not paying A?10.5m.
The Brazilian striker has had assets worth thrice that amount frozen by the court for security reasons and to cover for potential interest and fines. The order includes properties and vehicles registered under Neymar’s name along with three companies, that he is the principal owner of.
Neymar could escape jail time if he pays the dues
Brazilian judge Carlos Muta has accused Neymar of ‘omitting sources of income from abroad’ as was quoted by the Guardian. Muta also added, “He is solely responsible for the income declaration.”
FC Barcelona have been attributed to be the source behind the unreported money.
Brazil’s federal tax agency auditor, Iagaro Jung Martins is of the opinion that the Brazilian will not face jail time, if he pays the taxes. The auditor was quoted by Sky Sports, as saying:
“He will be able to discuss the frozen assets in a civil court.
“But legislation in Brazil isn’t too harsh. If Neymar pays what he owes, he is very likely to be free from any other punishment.”
However, the 23-year-old’s father Neymar da Silva Santos has denied the footballer’s involvement, suggesting that the FC Barcelona striker is not a partner in any of those companies.
He said, “Neymar Jr is not a partner in any of those companies, and therefore he cannot declare something he does not own.”
This is not the first time that an FC Barcelona player has been accused of tax evasion, with Neymar’s teammate Lionel Messi also undergoing trial for tax evasion in Spain.