Tax fraud hit the headlines in a big way yesterday when Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness admitted in court that he had committed tax fraud. Hoeness, who had been accused of defrauding the German authorities of €3.5m in taxes, admitted to evading the payment of an additional €15m, reports the Guardian.
Hoeness, a former international footballer who helped Germany win the World Cup in 1974, has been president of Bayern Munich football club since 2009 – and was a player and manager with the club before that.
According to the BBC, Hoeness has expressed regret for his actions, telling the court that “I will do everything necessary to ensure that this depressing chapter for me is closed”.
The German authorities are reportedly seeking a seven year jail sentence for Hoeness, although the maximum penalty that can be imposed is in fact a ten year term.
In Britain this type of case would generally be charged as ‘cheating the revenue’, which is a common law offence with no statutory maximum sentence.
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This blog post is intended as a news item only - no connection between Lewis Nedas and the parties concerned is intended or implied.