Peter Storrie, the chief executive of Portsmouth Football Club, has
been charged with tax evasion in relation to the signing of Amdy Faye
from Auxere in 2003.
Prosecutors alledge that Storrie concealed a £250,000 signing on fee, that was paid directly into the midfielder's bank account.
Storrie will appear at the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court on November 16, and has vowed to fight the charge,
- Portsmouth home
- Premier League fixtures
"We regard this action being taken by HMRC as seriously flawed," read a statement on the Portsmouth website.
"No evidence has been presented in
this extensive 32-month inquiry, supporting any allegation of offending
on the part of Mr Storrie. We wish to state as a matter of record that
Mr Storrie will be shown to have acted in the proper and wholly
professional discharge of his duties as Portsmouth Football Club's
chief executive.
"Urgent steps will be taken to highlight the
lack of evidence presented by HMRC in an effort to conclude as quickly
as possible this unwarranted prosecution. Mr Storrie is known by his
peers to be a man of impeccable repute. Upon the successful conclusion
of these proceedings, that reputation will remain untarnished, as Mr
Storrie will not allow himself to be used as a 'sacrificial lamb' to
justify these unfounded allegations."
- Football.co.uk staff
Source: DSG