Sandro Rosell, former president of Barça, is confirmed acquitted for tax fraud

The Barcelona hearing confirm the absolution of the former president of FC Barcelona Sandro Rosellin the case fiscal fraud against him where the Prosecutor's Office requested almost three years in prison for billing his professional services through a company managed by himself.

In his sentence, as anticipated The vanguardthe eighth section of the Barcelona Court rejects the resources that the Prosecutor's Office and the State Attorney's Office presented against the acquittal of Rosell, who was accused of defrauding almost 231 thousand euros to the Treasury in the exercise of 2021 for using a company without structure or real activity to pay less taxes on the income from their professional services.

The former president of the Blaugrana club in The Spanish leaguewhich in June 2019 returned the amount claimed plus interest to the Treasury, was absolutely four years ago by the National Court after being accused of launder illegal commissions of the former president of the Brazilian Football Confederationa case for which he remained in preventive detention for 22 months.

Furthermore, a few months ago the justice system acquitted him of the crime of corruption between individuals of which he was accused after the signing of the footballer Neymar Jr.

In its ruling, the Court endorses the arguments put forward by the first instance judge to acquit him, after ruling out that the company TOC SLUthrough which he billed his professional services, constituted a “mere appearance of service for criminal fraud.”

Specifically, the court emphasizes that, since 2012, the criterion of the Tax Agency is that “in companies that develop a professional activity that relies on the professional capabilities of the partner, what is important is the activity of said professional“.

In this sense, the court emphasizes that the invoices investigated corresponded to advisory, intermediation or consulting work and that The “only person trained in TPC to carry them out was Mr. Rosellnot the rest of the company's employees."

Remember the sentence that the crime of tax fraud persecutes those who "incorrectly or incorrectly declares the data that must be used for the settlement of the tax", which in his opinion does not occur in this case.