Judge orders seizure of goods worth €40m from Neymar

A Brazilian judge has ordered the seizure of a private jet, a luxury yacht and other goods worth more than €40 million from Neymar, the country’s biggest football star.

The case against Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, who is accused of using shell companies to avoid taxes, mostly relates to his career at the Brazilian team Santos between 2011 and 2013. He is also at the centre of a separate case in Spain over alleged irregularities in his transfer from Santos to Barcelona, the reigning European champions.

“There were omissions of revenue received from sources inside and outside the national territory,” said the court ruling from a federal judge in Santos.

The case against Neymar, who like most Brazilian footballers is generally known by his first name, comes as the country’s elites face increasing scrutiny from regulatory authorities.

Judges in Brazil have been emboldened by the success of the so-called Lava Jato – Car Wash – corruption case, in which former executives of state-owned oil company Petrobras have been accused of conspiring with politicians to secure bribes from contractors.

The multibillion-dollar scandal has led to the arrests of senior politicians, executives and bankers, surprising many Brazilians who were accustomed to a culture of impunity for the rich and powerful.

Neymar, Brazil’s top scorer in the 2010 World Cup, is contesting the case.