The Italian police have searched Juventus' offices in Turin for evidence in relation to transfers between 2019 and 2021, Italian prosecutors announced Sunday. The investigation was originally triggered by Italian regulators CONSOB looking into the movement €50 million after a report from COVISOC, the agency which oversees Serie A. Several transfers are reportedly under scrutiny including the swap transfer of acquiring Arthur from Barcelona for $79 million alongside sending Miralem Pjanic tot he Catalan club for $66 million. While the Arthur, Pjanic swap is reportedly the one that triggered the regulator's investigation, similar deals like one with Manchester City involving Danilo and Joao Cancelo as well as those of other teams like Napoli have also received scrutiny.
That investigation sparked the Turin Public Prosecutor to open it's own criminal case and since Juventus is publicly traded, prosecutor Anna Maria Loreto is looking into if investors were provided with false communications and forged invoices in relation to transactions that didn't happen.
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"Several transfer operations of professional players and the services rendered by some agents involved in the related intermediation are under consideration," Loreto said. Specifically, the issues being investigated are "aimed at ascertaining the crime of false communications from listed companies and issuing invoices for non-existent transactions to the top management and the managers of the business, financial and sports management areas," according to a press release from the prosecutor's office.
According to reports from Gazzetto dello Sport, at least six people are currently under investigation. Some of the notable names are Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli, vice-chairman Pavel Nedved, and former sporting director Fabio Paratici. Paratici will be a worry for Tottenham Hotspur, where he is now managing director, since should he be found guilty of any wrongdoing the repercussions will reach them as well ahead of a January transfer window during which he needs to work closely with Antonio Conte to secure the future of the club.
