Ex-Barca president Rosell charged with alleged tax fraud

MADRID: Sandro Rosell has been charged with alleged tax fraud and will be questioned by a judge in September, prosecutors in Barcelona said Monday, adding to the former FC Barcelona president´s legal woes.

The 54-year-old is accused of defrauding the taxman of 229,569 euros ($270,000) and will be questioned by a judge in Barcelona on September 18, a spokesman for Barcelona´s prosecutors´ office told AFP, without giving further details. This comes just 10 days after Spain´s National Court, which deals with major corruption cases, said Rosell would stand trial for alleged money laundering related to television rights and sponsorship of the Brazilian national football team. He is suspected of siphoning off 15 million euros in illegal commissions from a TV rights deal for the Brazilian national team along with Ricardo Teixeira, the former head of the Brazilian Football Confederation. Rosell had previously lived and worked in Brazil, where he forged many business links.

The contract was signed in 2006 to hand over the rights to 24 Brazil friendly matches to a company based in the Cayman Islands but tied to a Saudi group. Altogether, Rosell and his wife received some 15 million euros in their accounts, of which 6.6 million went to them and the rest was destined for Teixeira. Teixeira, a former FIFA vice-president, has been indicted by US Justice Department prosecutors investigating the FIFA corruption scandal.