Italian judge approves plea bargain deal for former Juventus chiefs –
ROME :A judge on Monday accepted a plea bargain request by former Juventus executives, including ex-chairman Andrea Agnelli, to settle a false accounting case relating to their time with Italy’s most successful soccer club.
Rome court judge Anna Maria Gavoni accepted a plea bargain of one year and eight months for Agnelli, and one year and two months for ex-vice chairman and Ballon d’Or winner Pavel Nedved.
Rome court judge Anna Maria Gavoni accepted a plea bargain of one year and eight months for Agnelli, and one year and two months for ex-vice chairman and Ballon d’Or winner Pavel Nedved.
The agreed prison sentences have been suspended and will not be served. Under Italian law, such plea bargaining does not involve an admission of guilt.For one of the defendants, former CEO Maurizio Arrivabene, the case was ultimately dismissed.
The “bianconeri” football club said in a statement that it had opted for the plea bargain “in the best interest of the company itself, its shareholders and all stakeholders”.
Juventus also reiterated “the correctness of its conduct and the soundness of its defensive arguments”.
The case revolved around allegations that Juventus misrepresented its financial statements, particularly in relation to player transfers and salary arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prosecutors had initially filed charges in Turin, where Juventus are based, but the case was transferred to Rome in 2023.
In June, former chairman Agnelli and other defendants asked the judge to settle the case through a plea bargain, after prosecutors had sought to bring them to trial on charges including stock market manipulation, obstruction of supervision and false invoicing.