Roma and Lazio have both released statements responding to the opening of a capital gains investigation and the Guardia di Finanza’s searches of their headquarters.
The Rome and Tivoli Public Prosecutor’s Offices’ opened investigations into the two Roman clubs yesterday, alongside Salernitana, who were recently owned by the Biancocelesti president Claudio Lotito.
The prosecutor in Rome requested a search of Roma’s headquarters and his counterpart in Tivoli is leading the investigation into Lazio and Salernitana.
The suspicion is that the three clubs inflated player transfer values from 2017 to 2021. Documents relating to transfers and agreements between clubs and players were taken by the Guardia di Finanza – Italy’s financial police – and the investigation is now ongoing.
The Tivoli prosecutor claims that this work is unrelated to the Prisma investigation into Juventus. Current and former directors of the three involved clubs are also being investigated.
Roma released a statement yesterday responding to the opening of the investigation.
“AS Roma takes note of the start of investigations by the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Court of Rome against the club as well as some of its current and former directors.
“The club is cooperating with the competent authorities and hopes that full clarity will be provided on the matter as soon as possible, believing that it has always operated in full compliance with the regulations in force.”
Lazio also clarified their position in a statement released yesterday.
“S.S. Lazio is a crystal house in which all documents are in place and always available to all authorities.
“We have always adhered, in our work, to a perspective of loyal and total cooperation and, therefore, any documentation requested of us would have been immediately delivered by us.
“In any case, we have the utmost respect for the Judiciary and we are therefore confident that we will quickly dispel any misunderstandings or doubts in relation to the disputed hypotheses.”