Spanish National Court judge Jose de la Mata has decided to prosecute football club FC Barcelona's president Josep Maria Bartomeu, his predecessor Sandro Rosell, and the club itself, as a legal entity, for three counts of tax fraud allegedly committed in signing Brazilian striker Neymar da Silva.
Judge Mata issued the order on Wednesday to commence proceedings of the case, in which FC Barcelona is accused of defrauding an estimated 13 million euros (roughly $14.7 million), reports Efe.
The judge explained neither the prosecution nor the state's attorney requested in indictments of any measures to ensure the potential civil liability of Rosell and Bartomeu.
The judge also accepted the state attorney's request to retain the amount appropriated by the club from the treasury to ensure that the team would be able to pay any possible financial penalties in the ruling on the case.