Neymar found guilty by local courts of tax evasion from Santos days

A Brazilian court has found Barcelona star Neymar jr guilty of tax evasion and has ordered him to pay over 36 million pounds in back taxes, interests and fines.

The ruling states that the Brazil captain failed to pay tax in Brazil from his earnings when he was playing at Santos, as well as from Nike and Barcelona endorsements from 2011-13.

According to court documents, the 24 old had used the businesses, set up with his father to conceal 11 million pounds in taxes between 2012 and 2014. In addition to his unpaid taxes, the Federal court of Rio De Janeiro has slapped a fine of 25 million pounds on him, which consists of interests and fines.

Develly Claudia Montez, who performed the audit for the court wrote: “We studied the information regarding the tax case in question, Neymar jr, the three businesses and his business partners [parents of the player] and we found that there were fraudulent business practices”.

Although Neymar has not made an official statement, he has denied the charges and he can still appeal to a higher court.Last month, a Brazilian court froze £32m worth of the player’s assets, which included a private jet, yacht and several properties in Brazil. Neymar, his father as well as Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu and his predecessor, Sandro Rosell were called to the Spanish High Court earlier this year for the case.