Bayern boss Uli Hoeness admits to tax evasion at his trial

Case has shocked German public and spurred others to turn themselves in

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness admitted on Monday to evading taxes through an undeclared Swiss bank account at a trial that could send the German football great to prison.

Prosecutor Achim von Engel told the Munich state court that Hoeness evaded €3.5 million (HK$37.9 million ) in taxes by concealing €33 million income through an undeclared Swiss bank account, the dpa news agency reported.

Hoeness reported himself to authorities early last year, and part of the trial will be to determine whether he did that because he was aware there was an investigation against him or for other reasons, which will affect the sentence he receives. 

If found guilty, he faces anything from a fine to 10 years in prison.

No pleas are entered in the German system.

But as the trial opened, Hoeness, who is also part owner of a Nuremberg sausage factory, said he had hoped to avoid the case going to court by reporting himself to authorities.

"I evaded taxes," he told the court. "I'm aware that reporting myself doesn't change anything."

But he said now he was glad that all the details were "transparently on the table". "I deeply regret my wrongdoing," he said. "I will do everything necessary to ensure that this depressing chapter for me is closed."

Hoeness said he had donated millions of euros to charities. "I'm no social parasite," he told the court. A verdict is expected on Thursday.

German authorities have been cracking down on tax evaders in recent years, and have recovered hundreds of millions of euros.

Their widely publicised purchase of leaked account information on thousands of investors, as well as high-profile cases such as that against Hoeness, has led to thousands of people turning themselves in.

News of the case against Hoeness, one of the most prominent figures in German football, emerged last April - prompting even Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel's spokesman to weigh in and say the country's leader was disappointed in him.

Culled from Scmp