Brazilian soccer player Neymar was hit with a punishment of over $3.3 million for breaking the law when renovating his property in Mangaratiba, a community outside of Rio de Janeiro.
Following Neymar's alleged involvement in the unauthorized construction of an artificial lake at his estate, the Mangaratiba municipal council announced Monday night that four fines totaling roughly 16 million Brazilian reals had been imposed.
“Among the dozens of infractions that were noticed at the player’s property is the start of an unauthorized construction which requires environmental control; capture of a river course and detouring it without authorization; moving rock and sand; suppressing vegetation without authorization and non-compliance of an embargo,” the statement said.
The last claim, according to a city hall document acquired by The Associated Press, is connected to Neymar's choice to swim in the man-made lake despite the fact that local officials had shown there to ban him from doing so owing to environmental effects. It stated, "As a result, the athlete was fined once more."
“The footballer was at the mansion on Friday and entered the lake, ignoring the restriction order made by the (environment) secretariat and local police, which showed up there the day before,” the document said.
Neymar reportedly hosted a celebration on that day to mark the construction of the man-made lake, according to Brazilian media on Friday.
Following an inquiry by the AP, a representative for the 31-year-old Neymar chose not to respond to the inquiry. The striker for Paris Saint-Germain may contest the judgment, which will be given to law enforcement for potential legal action.
On its social media platforms, Genesis Ecossistemas, the business that constructed the man-made lake, hailed the completion of the 10-day project. The lake's 1,000 square meters (10,764 square feet) surface area was stated.
According to the 46-page city hall document, Neymar was assessed the highest fine possible for each of the offenses for which he is charged.
The document, which was signed by the city's attorney general, also claimed that Neymar da Silva Santos, the soccer player's father, angrily attacked local officials last week when they visited the home to halt building work.
According to Mangaratiba City Hall, Neymar spent roughly 120,000 Brazilian reals ($25,000) on the unauthorized building work.
