The Mangaratiba City Council, on the outskirts of the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, has fined international soccer player Neymar 16 million reais (three million euros) for building an artificial lake without a permit.
The municipality said it had imposed four fines for “environmental infractions in the construction of an artificial lake at the player’s mansion,” which is currently aligned in France, at Paris Saint-Germain, according to a statement.
The total value of the fines, “more than 16 million reais,” was defined by the Public Ministry of Mangaratiba, a tourist region located about 130 kilometers from Rio de Janeiro, said the secretary of the Chamber.
Among the “dozens of infractions” identified, the authorities cited “the execution of works subject to environmental control without authorization”, the capture and diversion of river water without authorization and “the removal of land and the suppression of vegetation without authorization”.
Neymar has 20 days to appeal the sanction, whose value was initially set at five million reais (almost one million euros).
On June 22, after complaints on social media, authorities found multiple environmental violations at the luxury property, where workers were building an artificial lake and beach.
The authorities closed the place and ordered the suspension of all activities, but the Brazilian press assured that Neymar later had a party in the mansion and bathed in the lake.
In December, the footballer was acquitted by a Spanish court in a case in which he was accused of irregularities in the transfer from Santos to FC Barcelona in 2013.
The judges of the Provincial Court of Barcelona decided to acquit Neymar, and eight other defendants in the same process, considering that there were no indications of fraud and, therefore, of “harm to the complainants”.
In addition to Neymar, his parents, former FC Barcelona presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, former Santos coach Odílio Rodrigues and the player’s career management company were among those accused.
The decision came a month and a half after the Spanish Prosecutor’s Office withdrew all charges of corruption and fraud against Neymar, for alleged irregularities surrounding the transfer of the Brazilian footballer to FC Barcelona in 2013, considering them “presumptions without proof”.
The Public Ministry had initially requested two years in prison and a fine of 10 million euros against the Brazilian soccer player.
The case was triggered by a complaint from the DIS, which owned 40% of Neymar’s rights when he played for Santos, and which took him to court in June 2015 alleging that the player, his family and Santos had concealed the actual value of the transfer. ., to the detriment of said company.
Source: TSF
