The Bayern Munich president is expected to learn the outcome of his court case on Thursday after being accused of failing to pay €3.5 million in income tax
Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has appeared in a Bavarian court on Monday as his tax evasion trial gets underway.
The Bayern CEO is accused of failing to pay taxes on an undeclared Swiss bank account and could face time in prison if he is convicted.
Public prosecutor Achim von Engel claims Hoeness did not fully declare an income totalling €33 million earned between 2003 and 2009, leading to a tax evasion of €3.5m divided over seven separate instances.
Hoeness immediately filed a voluntary disclosure when first charged in 2013, but this was rejected by the prosecutor on the grounds that his documents were incorrect or incomplete and a Munich court will now determine the 62-year-old’s fate.
The trial is expected to last four days, meaning Hoeness is likely to learn his fate on Thursday.
Hoeness, who won the World Cup as a player in 1974 and has played a pivotal role in re-establishing Bayern as one of Europe’s greatest clubs, initially hoped to avoid prosecution after paying back the amounts owed, as German law currently states tax evaders can escape legal proceedings if they turn themselves in prior to the beginning of an investigation.
The allegations sent shockwaves throughout Germany and prompted thousands to preemptively pay back taxes in order to avoid possible prosectution, with the number expected to increase over the coming years.