The National Court of Spain has forwarded the ‘Neymar case’, which investigates the alleged tax evasion charges in the signing of the Brazilian star, to be judged in Barcelona.

The Criminal Chamber Third Section of the National Court of Spain has granted the appeals of FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu, his predecessor Sandro Rosell and the club itself, revoking the previous decision of the No. 5 Central Court which had refused the request to move the case to Barcelona with claims that the case wasn't of extraordinary importance to continue at the capital.

In order to justify the decision, the judges have explained that the money obtained by Neymar's company fraudulently was in FC Barcelona accounts, from where the money transfers originated, independent of the transfer destination.

The judges also stated that it was not the act of disposition that made part of the money involved on the transfer felonious but the results of that behavior, which brought economic damage to the Spanish state without regard to where the money actually went, thus “the involvement of Spanish citizens overseas, in this case Brazil, is unimportant for these effects.”

Concerning this, they explained that “the damage caused to the ‘socis’ does not take place in Brazil but in Barcelona, location where, besides, the club has its social residence.”