The Portuguese Prosecutor’s Office indicted Benfica and its former president on Tuesday Luis Filipe Vieira of several corruption crimes, such as match-fixing, and requested his suspension from playing sports.
In a statement, the Portuguese Public Ministry reported that it is indicting ten people allegedly involved in crimes of active and passive corruption “for unsportsmanlike conduct” and crimes of tax fraud between 2016 and 2019.
The plan, revealed
In particular, he pointed out that they had developed a plan to transfer funds or “other assets with sports value” through “fictitious operations.”
In exchange for these funds or assets, according to the Prosecutor’s Office note, each person involved will “act in favor of the interests of others (…) particularly with regard to sports results.”
The indictment also describes a scheme to embezzle money through a company based in Brazil, where they created non-existent businesses to “justify” the payment of large sums as “commissions for services of mediation.”
Benfica will defend “without hesitation”
Although the indictment did not specify the clubs involved, Benfica confirmed in a statement that the Prosecutor’s Office will “hold accountable” the Lisbon club, its former president Luís Filipe Vieira and the former adviser.
In a note published on its website, Benfica called the accusations “baseless” and assured that he would defend himself “without hesitation.”
Vitória de Setúbal, the other club involved
Meanwhile, the Portuguese press identified other clubs identified as the Vitória of Setúbal, which for decades has been one of the main symbols of the country’s first division, but is currently in the regional echelons due to a serious financial crisis.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, Benfica provided financial advantages to Vitória de Setúbal which, in return, deliberately facilitated the game in the matches between the two teams.
Luis Filipe Vieira has left the presidency of Benfica in July 2021 after 18 years in office and after being detained by the police as part of a new investigation along with his son and two other businessmen.
He is involved in several legal cases, such as ‘Operation Lex’, which investigates a former judge for allegedly benefiting Vieira in exchange for tickets to parties or paid trips to accompany the team in another country.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
