Bayern boss Hoeness charged with tax evasion - court

BERLIN (Reuters) - Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness was charged with tax evasion on Tuesday after months of investigations into the high-profile affair were concluded, a Munich court said.

Bayern Munich's president Hoeness is pictured before friendly soccer match between Bayern Munich and Barcelona in Munich

Bayern Munich's president Hoeness is pictured before friendly soccer match between Bayern Munich and Barcelona in Munich





Hoeness stunned Germany in April by saying he had voluntarily alerted tax authorities in January to a Swiss bank account he held, throwing the former West Germany international's future into doubt.

"The Munich II prosecutor's office has completed the investigation and has filed charges with the respective court," Munich's regional court said in a statement on Tuesday.

Hoeness, who could face a jail sentence but hopes for leniency after naming himself as a tax evader, has said the account had nothing to do with Bayern.

He said it was a personal account, created for his stock market trading. He admitted to gambling bigger and bigger amounts and taking a major hit as the dotcom bubble burst.

Bayern, who enjoyed their greatest success by winning the treble amid the furore of the affair earlier this year, have stuck with their president, turning down an offer by Hoeness to step down.

Hoeness has been at Bayern for more than 40 years, having served as a player during the 1970s, a period of great success.

He then spent 30 years as the team's general manager before being elected president of the Bundesliga's richest and most successful club.

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Clare Fallon)


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: Reuters


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world