Football Leaks’ prompts French tax fraud probe

French authorities have opened a preliminary inquiry into tax fraud and money laundering in the wake of the ‘Football Leaks’ revelations, the national financial prosecutor’s office announced yesterday. “Football Leaks” is the investigation led by 12 European media organisations aimed at exposing the sport’s darker side, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho both accused of tax evasion in recent weeks — charges the pair deny. “Following the publication... of a series of press articles regarding ‘Football Leaks’, the national financial prosecutor’s office decided to open... a preliminary investigation into the charge of laundering of aggravated tax fraud, facts likely to relate to French tax residents,” read a statement. The wideranging probe of financial documents also claimed Paris Saint-Germain duo Angel Di Maria and Javier Pastore funnelled parts of their income through tax havens, while accusing Manchester United and France star Paul Pogba of stashing away money in the Channel Islands, at the request of his agent Mino Raiola. — AFP