This week, there were searches in Dragão, Futebol Clube do Porto stadium, on suspicion of illegalities in the payment of commissions.
“In the context of investigations directed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Central Department of Investigation and Criminal Action, with the support of the Department of Fraud Investigation and Special Actions of the Tax Authority (AT), about two dozen home and non-household searches are in progress“, reads a statement from the DCIAP.
The steps “take place, namely in the premises of Public Limited Sports Companies, in companies and in a law firm”.
–
“At stake are suspicions of simulated business, entered into between football clubs and third parties, which aimed at concealing income from dependent employment, subject to declaration and withholding tax, in IRS, involving professional football players. The amounts involved will be around 15 million euros“, also indicates the Central Department of Investigation and Criminal Action.
–
Offside Operation
“The facts under investigation are likely to include crimes of tax fraud, social security fraud and money laundering”.The investigations are being monitored by Judge Carlos Alexandre.
These steps, explains the DCIAP, “were ordered following the analysis of the material seized during the searches carried out in March 2020, in the designated Offside Operation“.
“In them participate, in addition to a judicial magistrate and five MP magistrates, four dozen AT personnel [Autoridade Tributária] and about fifty soldiers from the GNR’s Fiscal Action Unit”.
–
47 defendants in 2020
Operation Fora de Jogo dictated, on March 4, 2020, the constitution of 47 defendants, 24 legal persons and 23 natural persons, following searches in different football entities.
Among the defendants were “football players, agents or intermediaries, lawyers and sports officials”, then said the Attorney General’s Office, adding that they were “suspicions of the practice of facts likely to include crimes of qualified tax fraud and money laundering”.
“The investigation investigates professional football business, carried out from the year 2015, which will have involved actions aimed at avoiding the payment of tax payments due to the Portuguese State, through concealment or alteration of values and other acts inherent to these business with reflection on the determination of the same benefits”, the PGR also needed.
The SADs of Benfica, Futebol Clube do Porto, Sporting, Sporting de Braga and Vitória de Guimarães then confirmed the conduct of searches, saying they are open to cooperating with the authorities.
–
– .
