CONVICTION: Bayern Munich President Uli Hoeness Sentenced to 3.5 Years in Prison
The 1974 World Cup winner is said to have evaded €27.2 million in taxes
and was lucky not to receive a five-year sentence, according to The
Guardian's Philip Oltermann: "The 62-year
old asked for leniency having voluntarily disclosed his actions to
authorities."
Hoeness made well in excess of 200 appearances
for Bayern across a nine-year spell with the club
before heading to Nuremberg on loan. His crime is sure to dampen a fantastic
legacy he has built at Bayern since retiring in
1979, an era that has seen the club rise to prominence with multiple domestic
titles and European successes.
Most recently, Bayern's greatest achievement
with Hoeness as president arrived in the form of
a quintet-winning 2013. Hoeness had hoped to avoid a prison sentence
after turning himself in last year, per The Associated Press (via The Guardian).
Upon coming clean, German chancellor Angela Merkel
expressed her disappointment toward the Bayern
president, as quoted by Merkel's spokesman,
Steffen Seibert, via BBC News: "Many
people are now disappointed in Uli Hoeness, among them the Chancellor." Hoeness was aware that his late actions to try
and save face didn't alter the severity of his wrongdoing, per The
Guardian's report.
"I evaded taxes," said Hoeness.
"I'm aware that reporting myself doesn't change this fact. I deeply
regret my wrongdoing. I will do everything necessary to ensure that this
depressing chapter for me is closed."
Hoeness placed his money in a Swiss bank
account and is said to have used the hidden funds to trade stocks. He has
allegedly completed "tens of thousands of transactions" between 2001
and 2010, per The
Guardian.
He has one week to appeal the decision, as noted by AP journalist and Bundesliga specialist Ryland
James:
Hoeness is not scheduled to leave prison
until he is at least 65 years old, making his future participation as Bayern president extremely difficult.
The Bundesliga champions are expected to
release a public reaction soon.
SOURCE: bleacherreport.com
Comments
Post a Comment