Juventus, the Rome Prosecutor’s Office beats Agnelli, Arrivabene, Nedved and Paratici
Andrea Agnelli sent to trial together with Pavel Nedved, Maurizio Arrivabene and Fabio Paratici. Yet another page of the Prisma investigation which cost Juventus 10 penalty points and exclusion from the European Cups. All the details
Andrea Agnelli, the former president of Juventus, has been sent to trial. This was decided by the Rome Prosecutor's Office which, in a further step of the "Prisma" investigation , also requested the indictment of a dozen people, including the former Juventus managers and the men at the top of the Old Lady, from Pavel Nedved to Maurizio Arrivabene and Fabio Paratici.
THE ALLEGED PROFITS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
The proceeding is part of the investigation relating to capital gains and suspicious maneuvers on the salaries paid to footballers during the Covid-19 pandemic. The charges hanging over the heads of the suspects are different and range from market manipulation, to obstructing supervision and false invoicing. However, the matter relating to Juventus' budget as of 30 June 2022 is still under investigation.
THE FILE ON JUVENTUS CAPITAL GAINS ARRIVES IN ROME
The proceeding is coordinated by the deputy prosecutor Giuseppe Cascini and the deputy prosecutor Lorenzo Del Giudice. The Capitoline magistrates became interested in the file after the decision of the Fifth Section of the Cassation which, last September 6, declared the territorial incompetence of the Turin Prosecutor's Office, ordering the transmission of the documents to the Roman prosecutors. In fact, the company authorized by Consob to operate the Sdir platform, which Juventus had turned to, has its headquarters in Rome. Prosecutors Giorgio Orano and Lorenzo Del Giudice are in charge of the investigation.
THE INVESTIGATIONS OF THE ITALIAN JUSTICE: THE YELLOW FLAMES HUNTING FOR THE 'RONALDO CARD'
The case, which cost Andrea Agnelli and his Board of Directors to resign after 12 years, exploded on 26 November 2021 when the Guardia di Finanza searched the Juventus headquarters in Turin and Milan. Subsequently the searches also moved to Rome. The yellow flames were looking for documents relating to the purchase and sale of players and the preparation of budgets for the years 2019-21.
As mentioned, there are two lines of investigation: financial statements with capital gains and private writings. In particular, the men of the yellow flames were hunting for a paper "that should not have existed" (as recorded in the interceptions between Cesare Gabasio, head of the Juve legal office, and sporting director Cherubini) regarding some emoluments that Cristiano Ronaldo should still receive. It is the "Ronaldo Card" that Corriere della Sera published on 19 February 2023, a document found in Turin "in the office of the lawyer Federico Restano on 23 March 2022". During the investigation, several footballers were interviewed as persons informed of the facts, including Paulo Dybala, Alex Sandro, Bernardeschi, Cuadrado, Chiellini and Bonucci.
INVESTIGATIONS BY THE FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: 10 PENALTY POINTS FOR JUVENTUS
The Federal Prosecutor's Office also investigated the case, in both lines of investigation. In the first instance, the investigations into the "capital gains case" lead to the referral of 11 football clubs for direct responsibility: according to the accusation Juve, Samp, Napoli, Genoa, Empoli, Parma, Pisa, Pescara, Novara, Chievo Verona and Pro Vercelli "have accounted for capital gains and rights to the players' performances for values exceeding those permitted to an extent that would affect the federal requirements for issuing the National License". However, the first instance ends with nothing in fact, the 59 managers, the members of the various boards of directors and the 11 companies are acquitted because, according to what is reported in the judges' motivations, there is no single or objective method to establish the real value of a player. Juventus was also acquitted on appeal in the federal proceedings but the FIGC decided to also investigate the "salaries" area.
The resumption of the investigations leads to a different result from the previous one, the ruling of the FIGC Federal Court of Appeal imposes 10 penalty points on Juventus in the 22/23 season but acquits the seven managers Pavel Nedved, Paolo Garimberti, Assia Grazioli Venier, Caitlin Mary Hughes, Daniela Marilungo, Francesco Roncaglio and Enrico Vellano. Juve was also fined 718 thousand euros and refused to appeal.
THE UEFA INVESTIGATION AND THE EXCLUSION OF JUVENTUS FROM THE CUPS
The UEFA investigation has hit Juventus. The CFCB (Club Financial Control Body) investigated breaches of club licensing and financial fair play regulations. The sentence was very heavy: the UEFA Financial Control Body excluded Juventus from European competitions in the 2023/24 season for violating the UEFA regulatory framework and the settlement agreement signed in August 2022.
At the end of the 22-23 championship, Juve had qualified for the 2023-2024 Conference League (despite the 10 point penalty), but UEFA excluded the Bianconeri. Furthermore, the club was fined ten million euros, with a further ten million euros at stake, "if the club's annual financial statements for the financial years 2023, 2024 and 2025 do not comply with accounting requirements".
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/economia/juventus-procura-roma-agnelli-arrivabene-nedved-paratici/ on Wed, 17 Jul 2024 13:48:06 +0000.