Rio De Janeiro (Brazil), June 04: Two Brazilian business representatives of Ronaldo have been linked to an alleged extortion of US$33 million deposited in Swiss bank accounts, Brazilian newspapers reported yesterday.
Alexandre Martins and Reinaldo Pitta were arrested and jailed Monday on suspicion of money laundering and accounting fraud in connection with the case involving eight Brazilian federal and state tax inspectors.
Martins, Ronaldo's agent, and Pitta were among the lead dealmakers for Ronaldo during last year's lengthy round of negotiations that moved the striker to Real Madrid from Italy internazionale for 45 million (US$44 million).
A lawyer for Martins and Pitta denied accusations they helped transfer the money to Switzerland for tax inspectors.
"This is a lynching," attorney Alexandre Dumans told Folha De Sao Paulo newspaper after his clients were arrested.



Rio police had no immediate comment yesterday on the arrests. Efforts to reach Ronaldo yesterday were unsuccessful. Real Madrid officials declined to take a message for him seeking comment.



Authorities are investigating allegations that the inspectors extorted the money from companies with threats of audits and fines, then sent most of the money abroad.



The scandal broke in January after Swiss anti-money laundering authorities were alerted to the eight accounts by the Geneva-based Union Bancaire Privee, which had taken over the Discount Bank and Trust Co.



Swiss prosecutors ordered the money frozen and informed Brazilian authorities that the eight tax inspectors could be laundering money in Switzerland.


Bureau Report