Police raid French Ministry of Finance house for investigation over Neymar's PSG transfer in 2017

Neymar moved Saudi club Al-Hilal in 2023

According to sources, police stormed the French Ministry of Finance on Monday as part of their ongoing investigation into Neymar’s 2017 purchase of Paris Saint-Germain. Six and a half years ago, the Brazilian made a world-record £198 million transfer from Barcelona to PSG.

Last summer, 31-year-old Neymar moved to Saudi Arabia from France. However, questions about his prior Ligue 1 transfer are still being raised. The General Directorate of Public Finances was raided on Monday by police from the Central Office for the Fight against Corruption and Tax Fraud, as reported by French publication Mediapart.

According to Mediapart’s report, PSG received assistance in avoiding paying taxes on their record-breaking acquisition of Neymar.

They allege that Gerald Darmanin, the nation’s interior minister, his then-chief of staff, Jerome Fournel, and Hugues Renso, the vice president of the National Assembly, assisted PSG in evading paying tax on transfers.

Fournel, 56, is charged with devising strategies to assist PSG in evading taxes in the transaction.

It is said that he, Darmanin, and Renso communicated with Jean-Claude Blanc, the PSG’s then-general director, and Jean-Martial Ribes, its prior head of media.

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Authorities are reportedly investigating “acts of active corruption and influence peddling” as well as “passive acts” in connection with the raid.

Amelie Oudea-Castera, the French Minister of National Education and Youth, has asserted that nothing “illegal” occurred.

On Monday, Darmanin stated as much:

“I am very happy that football or rugby players come to our territory and pay a lot of taxes and charge a lot of revenue taxes.

“If Neymar had not come, no taxes would have been paid, no football shirts would have been sold in his name and no social security contributions would have come in.”

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