News emerged yesterday that Leeds United owner Massimo Cellino had been found guilty of tax evasion in Italy.
The Italian was fined €40,000 for not paying tax on a Range Rover brought from Miami to Sardinia in 2010. As it was brought on a tourist visa, it was seized by Italian customs in 2012.
Despite being fined for tax evasion, Cellino was not guilty of a customs offence as the estimates on the Range Rover’s value falls below that of criminal liability.
This case was caused by Cellino failing to pay €16,200 in VAT when he brought the Range Rover to Italy from the United States. The judge Sandra Lepore successfully found him guilty of non-payment on a yacht last year, an offence that saw him receive a ban imposed by the Football League as it was seen as a dishonest practice.
Another guilty verdict given, but this does not necessarily mean that he will face another suspension.
With this case it is difficult to create a clear picture of whether or not Cellino was dishonest and has committed a criminal offence. Whilst he was guilty of tax evasion, Judge Lepore ruled that it was not a customs offence, so it seems that he was found not guilty of a criminal offence.
The situation with the Football League would be that they can not take any further action until the court papers and written judgement are published, up until then the League are unable to suspend Cellino from running Leeds United.
According to reports, the charge given to Cellino yesterday is identical to the one he received in the case against his yacht, where he was ordered to pay a fine of £426,000.
As highlighted by BBC Radio Leeds’ Adam Pope, this is not the only conviction that Cellino is facing.
The owner of the Whites is also accused of avoiding tax on a yacht called Lucky 23, avoiding a VAT payment of around £60,000. In addition to this, he will appear in court on the 14th September in regards to an on-going investigation regarding the unauthorised construction and non-compliance of a public authority order, where the charges are the two points previously mentioned, corruption and attempted corruption.
Another trial that Cellino will attend in due to open on October 16, the same day as the Lucky 23 trial, regarding the transfers of Edgar Alvarez and Joe Bizera whilst at his former club Cagliari. It concerns the issue of over £530,000 of taxes being unpaid in 2007.
Whilst at Leeds United, the Sardinian is under investigation by the FA for the possible illegal payment to an unlicensed agent in the Ross McCormack transfer and the alleged third party ownership of Adryan when he was loaned to Leeds from Flamengo, two things which are strictly forbidden under Football Association.
Cellino may or may not be banned for this most recent verdict, but with the long line of court cases against him and the two investigations by the FA, it will be hard for the Leeds owner to avoid future sanctions.
