MEXICO.- In several of the nearly 30 lawsuits filed by businessman Fidel Kuri against the Mexican Soccer Federation (FMF), goalkeeper Sebastián Jurado is implicated, who according to his lawyer, was taken away from the owner of Veracruz, which is also why the player's name is being investigated for alleged money laundering by Guillermo Álvarez Cuevas, president of Cruz Azul.
Kuri's lawyer, Zwinglio Miguel Morice, declared to ESPN digital that "there are the consequences of simulating contracts. I pay you 10 million, you report 3, and you say you sold him to me through such team; you think a tax investigation doesn't exist." Zwinglio Morice added that part of the problem Cruz Azul is facing "relates to the forgery of Sebastián Jurado's contract to the detriment of Veracruz. They paid 10 million dollars and reported that he was sold for 3. That complaint will also hold the Club Morelia, now Mazatlán, accountable. Imagine: a new club with a debt of 7 million dollars for tax evasion or as they call it there, illicit origin resources."
However, the lawyer claimed that officially "Sebastián Jurado never became a player from Morelia; he belongs to Veracruz. Ask the federation how he came to Morelia, let them show the documents, because according to the disaffiliation document, they were all free; so, how did he get to Morelia for later transfer to Cruz Azul?"
He denied that the transaction was made because Veracruz owed money to TV Azteca (owner of Morelia) for an advance payment for broadcasting rights that were not fulfilled after the franchise was disaffiliated at the end of last year. "That may exist in Mr. Enrique Bonilla's imagination (president of the Liga MX) and the reality is what is happening now; the consequences are there for simulating contracts."
About whether they wrongfully took Jurado away from Veracruz, Kuri's lawyer said, "They never showed a sales contract. If I have it registered with Veracruz, how can it be Morelia's property? The investigations show that it cost 10 million dollars and they reported 3 million to the Treasury" -he reiterated-. "Why do you think the Financial Intelligence Unit is also investigating Cruz Azul?: for simulating contracts, for saying that the players cost more and buying them cheaper; Sebastián Jurado is included in that package".
He emphasized that Jurado's transfer "is implicated in the money laundering scheme" of Cruz Azul and that it is the reason the investigation started. He said, "One thing is what they claim they paid, and another is what they actually paid. We didn't give up the player; they did whatever they wanted. The FMF is implicated in that money laundering, how can a player who supposedly became a free agent and ended up being sold through Morelia or became a free agent or what. The assembly said that all players became free and it wasn't like that".
He added that after the disaffiliation of Veracruz, TV Azteca did not file a claim for the alleged club's debt and the federation only made decisions in favor of Morelia and ultimately Cruz Azul. "The FMF went to the extent of lying to FIFA itself, all with documents". He then clarified that his client is undertaking a defense regarding the documents the FMF has presented in court.
BONILLA TALKED ABOUT PAYING TAXES THANKS TO KURI
Without hesitation, Zwinglio Morice affirmed that the actions Fidel Kuri is taking against the FMF led Enrique Bonilla to declare last Wednesday that all contracts must be registered and that the players must pay their own taxes. He points out that if Kuri had not requested on March 13 before the Treasury the tax returns of the federation, as well as all divisions including the Third, Bonilla would not have mentioned paying taxes. He made it clear that the returns from 2010 to the present were requested as evidence in the trial against the federation, a process in which Bonilla has already testified.
"They accuse us of double contracts. We have our statements, but they who knows. For example, most of the teams in the Third division supposedly pay 4,500 pesos per player, and the Treasury doesn't receive a single peso".
The interviewee said, "This is called accountability, and Kuri's request for accountability is now reflected in what Bonilla said".
When asked directly, Zwinglio Morice assured that Fidel Kuri is one of the few who paid taxes. "Do you think he would be so foolish to ask for something he doesn't have? We must recognize the good in Fidel". Finally, the lawyer affirmed that the FMF owes his client 10 million dollars, plus almost 80 million pesos, and they have everything documented in about 30 lawsuits that are ongoing. "As these lawsuits progress, more people from the federation will have to testify".