A former France national team star is said to have received an eight-month suspended prison sentence and a substantial fine.
A French court has handed former Liverpool star Djibril Cisse an eight-month suspended prison sentence for the misuse of corporate assets and the late reporting of accounting transactions, according to L'Equipe.
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A Bastia Criminal Court judge also fined the former striker €20 000 (R384 380) after hearing that the Frenchman abused funds through his Corsica-based accountancy firm.
Despite being found guilty on some charges, the now 43-year-old declared that he was relieved not to have been convicted of tax fraud.
According to The Sun, Cisse said: "As I have always said, I have never cheated the taxman. The court has proved me right."
His lawyer, Malcolm Mouldaia, added: "This was a tax fraud case, but my client has been acquitted."
In September, prosecutors requested that the court impose a fixed one-year jail term, including an additional two-year suspended sentence and a fine of £85 000 (R1.9 million).
Cisse's lawyer, Mouldaia, also told the court: "He has been suffering from this case for years.
"He had difficulties with the accounting firm that did not manage the case well and did not inform him."
The legal representative added: "We have sued the accounting firm before the Nanterre Commercial Court for failure to provide information and breach of contract, and we are demanding that it pay all the sums that were paid by Mr Cisse in light of his tax audits."
Cisse played 49 times for France between 2002 and 2011 and was notably part of the infamous Les Bleus squad at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which was beaten 2-1 by Bafana Bafana after goals from Bongani Khumalo and Katlego Mphela.
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By Lukhanyo Mtuta
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