Lent.az
Rui Costa, the president of the Portuguese football club "Benfica," has been summoned to court as a defendant.
Lent.az reports, citing foreign media, that this is due to Costa receiving a transfer of 76,000 euros from the Russian club "Lokomotiv."
This money was part of a payment related to the transfer of Argentine footballer Herman Conti to "Lokomotiv" in 2023. However, this transaction has been assessed as a violation of European sanctions legislation prohibiting financial transactions with organizations linked to Russia.
Costa was supposed to testify in court last July, but he was granted a postponement. According to Portuguese law, the crime of violating international sanctions is punishable by imprisonment for 1 to 5 years. According to reports, the prosecution plans to file a motion for temporary suspension of the case after payment of a fine.
It is worth recalling that Herman Conti's move to "Lokomotiv" took place in January 2023, with the total amount of the transfer being 2 million euros.
It should be noted that on September 17, in the first round of the League stage of the UEFA Champions League, "Qarabag" defeated "Benfica" 3:2 away.
