Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has arrived at a Madrid court to testify against tax evasion charges related to the signing of Neymar in 2013.
Bartomeu is suspected of defrauding the Spanish state by €2.8 million in the controversial deal which saw the Brazilian arrive at Camp Nou from Santos.
Sandro Rosell left his post as club president in January 2014 following revelations that the transfer fee had totalled around €86m rather than the previously stated €57m, but his successor is now also in the crossfire.
Bartomeu arrived at court just after 11am CET flanked by his two lawyers, and is due to give evidence relating to his role in the transaction which broke Barcelona’s transfer record.
The 52-year-old has protested his innocence in the case and claims that the outstanding tax due against the total sum of the transfer was included in a €13.5m payment handed over in late 2014.
He is the first serving Barcelona president in history to stand accused in a court of law.
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