No signs of embezzlement

Posted Sunday, December 14, 2014 by Marca.com

Judge Pablo Ruz might throw the case presented by Barca member Jordi Cases out of court, regarding the alleged embezzlement of €40 million. The matter of tax payments is an entirely different issue, however.

Investigations into the controversial signing of the Brazilian international have not found any evidence of possible crimes or misdemeanors regarding the misappropriation of any monies connected to the deal and it looks as if the case will soon be closed.

Where things aren't looking too good for the Catalan club is regarding the issue of tax payments. Investigations into this matter reveal that laws have been broken, specifically the evasion of taxes to the tune of €9.5 million.

According to various sources, Barcelona might be fined the highest amount possible, which ranges from double up to six times the tax amount not paid. This means a hefty €19 to €57 million, unless of course the club admits its wrongdoing, in which case the fine would be much lower. Barcelona have set aside €8.8 million for this matter.

The club is quite clear on what strategy to take. What they want is to make a deal with the tax authorities and put an end to this saga once and for all. They are prepared to only go as far as signing an agreement and to pact an amount to be paid not above the €8.8 million they have prepared.

Under no circumstances will they admit that a crime has been committed, as they assure that nothing untoward was done on purpose and that there have only been certain discrepancies regarding how the tax regulations should be interpreted.