2024-01-05T18:08:25+00:00
A-
A
A+
/ The Italian Supreme Court acquitted the late Argentine football legend Diego Maradona of tax evasion charges, ending a 30-year legal battle between the former Napoli striker and the tax authorities.
Maradona, known as the Golden Foot, was accused of using proxy companies in Liechtenstein to avoid paying taxes when receiving payments between 1985 and 1990 from Napoli for his image rights.
His lawyer, Angelo Pisani, told Reuters: “The matter is over and I can say clearly and without fear of contradiction that Maradona was never a tax evader.”
A court document published on Wednesday, and seen by Reuters, showed that the Rome Court of Cassation overturned a 2018 ruling in mid-December.
Maradona died in November 2020 following a heart attack.
Investigations into the player’s tax payments began in the early 1990s and resulted in charges worth 37 million euros ($40.38 million) and the confiscation of some of the player’s belongings during his visits to Italy.
Pisani said the final ruling “does justice to the fans and the values of the sport but above all to the memory of Maradona.”
Maradona’s lawyer added: “The heirs now have the legal right to demand compensation. I hope they will use it in memory of their father.”