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Hoeness Jailed For Three Years And Six Months For Tax Fraud

 

President of European football champions Bayern Munich, Uli Hoeness has been jailed for three years and six moths for tax evasion by a German court.

Hoeness admitted defrauding German tax authorities of millions of euros.

The former World Cup-winning Germany striker, 62, had kept the funds in a secret Swiss bank account.

His lawyer had argued he should escape punishment because he gave himself up. But judges ruled his confession fell short of full disclosure.

Hoeness was initially charged with evading 3.5m euros (£2.9m; $4.9m) in taxes but he then admitted to dodging another 15m euros.

On the day he took the call from a well-wisher tipping him off that he was being investigated for tax fraud, he was having lunch with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. That’s how well-connected he was.

When the tax scandal broke, he offered his resignation at a Bayern meeting but the fans chanted his name until he broke down in tears. Uli was loved – despite the gambling problem that led to his greater tax problem.

It finally emerged in court that he owed a total of 27.2m euros.

On Thursday the court in the southern city of Munich found Hoeness guilty of “seven serious counts of tax evasion”.

“The voluntary disclosure is not valid with the documents that were presented alone,” the judge said.

The defence said it would appeal against the sentence. Meanwhile Hoeness will remain free until a final verdict has been handed out.

Prosecutors had called for a term of five years and six months.

Bayern Munich fans were gathered outside the court building, holding up banners expressing support for the football boss.