TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Brazil court freezes almost $50 million in Neymar assets
Barcelona's Neymar from Brazil, kicks the ball next to RC Celtaâs Gustavo Cabral from Argentina, during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between RC Celta and FC Barcelona, at the BalaÃdos stadium in Vigo, Spain, Wednesday
Change Size
Barcelona's Neymar from Brazil, kicks the ball next to RC Celtaâs Gustavo Cabral from Argentina, during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between RC Celta and FC Barcelona, at the BalaÃdos stadium in Vigo, Spain, Wednesday. (AP/Lalo R. Villar) (AP/Lalo R. Villar)
B
span class="inline inline-center">Barcelona's Neymar from Brazil, kicks the ball next to RC Celta's Gustavo Cabral from Argentina, during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between RC Celta and FC Barcelona, at the BalaÃdos stadium in Vigo, Spain, Wednesday. (AP/Lalo R. Villar)
A Brazilian court has frozen assets of Barcelona star Neymar, his family and related businesses valued at 188.8 million Brazilian reals ($48 million).
The Sao Paulo federal court said Friday that the 23-year-old is alleged to have evaded 63 million reals in Brazil taxes (almost US$ 16 million) between 2011 and 2013. He moved in 2013 from Brazilian club Santos to Spain's Barcelona.
In a statement, Judge Carlos Muta said Neymar only declared assets worth 19.6 million reals (a little less than US$ 5 million).
However, Iagaro Jung Martins, an auditor with Brazil's federal tax agency, said that Neymar isn't likely to go to jail if he pays what he owes.
"He will be able to discuss the frozen assets in a civil court," Martins told The Associated Press. "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."
Contacted by AP, Neymar's father Neymar da Silva Santos, who serves as the player's business manager, called the charges "unjust."
"Neymar Jr. is not a partner in any of those companies and, therefore, he cannot declare something he does not own,' he told AP. The elder Neymar said that Brazil's tax agency "doesn't understand" his son's tax obligations.
His father also said his son's case had yet to be heard by the court.
In May, a Spanish court alleged Barcelona club president Josep Bartomeu and his predecessor Sandro Rosell evaded millions in taxes after signing Neymar. (k)
