From Atletico

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness (pic) will face trial next March on charges he hid millions of euros from tax authorities in a Swiss bank account, a court said yesterday.

The regional court in Munich said in a statement that it had agreed to hear the case brought by public prosecutors in July and that proceedings would start on March 10.

“The 61-year-old president of FC Bayern is accused by Munich prosecutors of tax evasion,” the court said.

“No details on the allegations can be released due to the special secrecy requirements in tax trials before the charges are read in the public hearing.”

In a statement, the club’s supervisory board said it was in “mutual agreement” that Hoeness will remain in office.

Following an independent inquiry by legal experts, the board has been advised it does not have to request Hoeness’ resignation from a legal point of view.

Prosecutors brought the charges against the powerful president of European champions Bayern after a high-profile probe, spanning several months, which has rocked German sport and politics.

Hoeness, aseniorfigureinEuropean football, was arrested on March 20, then released on US$6.8mil (RM21.5mil) bail, as part of an investigation into unpaid taxes on a Swiss account in his name.

He admitted in a magazine interview that he had stashed millions of euros away from the German taxman thanks to Switzerland’s bank secrecy laws.

Hoeness said he had at first turned himself in to authorities in January over an unspecified amount of unpaid taxes.

He had originally hoped to come forward under an expected GermanSwiss tax accord which would have allowed him to settle the matter anonymously with a one-off payment. — AFP