Real Madrid’s Luka Modric could face up to five years in
prison, after Croatian prosecutors launched an investigation into suspected
perjury against the player.
Modric allegedly gave false testimony in a criminal trial, about
his financial deals with a former Dinamo Zagreb director charged with tax fraud
and embezzlement.
The 32-year-old testified last week at the trial of a tax
official and three former senior officials from Dinamo Zagreb, including its
former chief executive, Zdravko Mamic. Mamic is considered one of the most
powerful people in Croatian football, boasting of serious political influence.
The State Attorney’s office in Osijek, did not name Modric,
as is standard procedure in Croatia. But they referred to a 32-year-old
Croatian who testified last week, a description that fits Modric and no one
else.
Local media identified Modric as the investigation’s target.
“The witness falsely said that on 10 July, 2004, the date
when he signed his first professional contract, he also signed an annex on the
basis of which he had acquired a right to a 50:50 share in transfer fees,” the
state attorney said in a statement.
Modric moved to Tottenham from Dinamo Zagreb in 2008. He
joined Real Madrid in 2012.
By Ifreke Inyang
