Police officers from the Central Office for the Fight against Corruption and Tax Fraud and the General Inspectorate of the National Police carried out searches at the Ministry of the Economy and Finance on Monday for possible tax favors granted to PSG by the State during Neymar’s transfer in 2017.
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Searches were carried out on Monday January 15 at the Ministry of Economy and Finance as part of the investigation into suspicions of tax favors granted to PSG during the transfer of Brazilian striker Neymar from Barcelona in 2017, a- we learned, Thursday January 18, from a source close to the matter.
These operations, revealed by Mediapart, were carried out by police officers from the Central Office for the Fight against Corruption and Tax Fraud (OCLCIFF) and the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN) in the presence of investigating judges. Vincent Lemonier and Serge Tournaire, a second source close to the matter told AFP.
Several departments of the general directorate of public finances (DGFIP) were searched by investigators including, according to Mediapart, the office of the general director occupied until recently by Jérôme Fournel, since appointed chief of staff to the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Mayor.
These suspicions, on which the investigation is only just beginning, are part of an investigation carried out since September 2022 by investigating magistrates around influence operations attributed to the club’s former communications director, Jean-Martial Ribes, 57 years.
Justice is wondering whether the former Macronist vice-president of the National Assembly Hugues Renson tried to obtain from the government “tax advantages” for PSG during the transfer for 222 million euros – the most expensive of the story – of the Brazilian superstar at the capital club.
Read alsoFrom Groves to Neymar: the crazy inflation of transfers
A possible “influence peddling”
In an investigation report sent on November 21 to the investigating magistrate, revealed by Libération and consulted by AFP, the IGPN questions possible “influence peddling” involving Hugues Renson.
According to this report covering ten years of messages with him found in the telephone of Jean-Martial Ribes, the ex-“dircom” “requested (…) unequivocally (…) the services” of the one who was advisor to Jacques Chirac at the Élysée.
The former vice-president of the National Assembly claimed on July 24 to relay to Gérald Darmanin, then Minister of Public Accounts, a “PSG subject” which seemed to be the taxation of the transfer.
Gérald Darmanin “considers that it is good (…). What matters is that the documents that we mentioned are produced. They will protect”, writes Hugues Renson in particular to Jean-Martial Ribes.
At the time, the minister publicly “rejoiced at the taxes that Neymar (was) going to be able to pay in France”, and guaranteed that his services would closely analyze the financial arrangement of the transfer. On August 3, the historic deal worth 222 million euros was concluded and announced.
When asked, Gérald Darmanin’s entourage did not wish to react to this search. Gérald Darmanin was Minister of Action and Public Accounts from 2017 to 2020.
With AFP