In a dramatic move, the attorney general announced that he had “withdrawn the charges against all defendants and all allegations” they faced.
Neymar, 30, had said he did not remember whether he was involved in the negotiations that led to an agreement concluded in 2011 with Barcelona over his transfer two years later to the Spanish club from Brazilian club Santos.
Spanish prosecutors have demanded a two-year prison sentence for Neymar, a key member of the Brazilian team that will participate in the World Cup in Qatar next month, and a fine of 10 million euros ($9.7 million).
The dropping of charges is the culmination of a years-long legal saga over Neymar’s high-profile move to Europe.
He then joined Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain for a world record transfer fee of 222 million euros in 2017.
Neymar was one of nine defendants tried on corruption charges, including his parents and their company, N&N, which runs his affairs.
Even if he has been convicted, a prison sentence of two years or less is not carried out in Spain at all for a first-time offender.
Investigators began investigating the move to Barcelona after a 2015 complaint filed by DIS, a Brazilian company that owned 40% of the player’s sporting rights when he was at Santos, the club for which he is world famous.
The company claims that Neymar, Barcelona and the Brazilian club colluded to conceal the true cost of his transfer, thus defrauding his legitimate financial interests.
Barcelona said the value of the deal was 57.1 million euros, of which 40 million euros were paid to N&N and 17.1 million to Santos, of which 6.8 million were paid to DIS.
Spanish prosecutors believe the actual value was at least 83 million euros.
DIS is seeking a refund of 35 million euros.
“I sign what I was told”
Neymar testified earlier this month, telling the court that he had done nothing illegal and had only signed documents given to him by his father.
“My father has always been in charge” of the contract negotiations, he said. “I sign what he says to me.”
DIS also alleges financial damage from a 2011 pre-contract agreement with Barcelona, claiming that it hindered other clubs from bidding and affected the value of the transfer fee.
But the player’s father, Neymar Sr., told the court that the Brazilian club had authorized the talks at the time and that “Santos is the responsibility” to inform the defense unit rather than his.
Apart from Neymar, his father and mother Nadine Goncalves, two former Barcelona presidents, Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, and former Santos president Odilio Rodriguez Filho are among the accused.
Neymar’s lawyers insist their client is innocent, saying the €40m payment from Barcelona was a “legal signing bonus which is normal in the football transfer market”.
Neymar is having one of his best seasons since joining Paris Saint-Germain and is expected to play a key role for Brazil in the Qatar World Cup.
He scored nine league goals in 11 games and provided seven assists.
He is expected to lead the Seleção in their opening World Cup Group G match against Serbia on November 24 as the South American giants begin their quest to win the title for the first time since 2002 and sixth on aggregate.
(AFP)
