By IANS
London : The much-awaited transfer of Carlos Tevez to Manchester United took a fresh twist Friday amid reports after an arrest order was issued against his agent Kia Joorabchian.
A federal judge in Brazil has charged Joorabchian, among others, with money-laundering and being part of a criminal gang.
Joorabchian owns Media Sports Investment (MSI), a company that has been under official investigation in Brazil ever since it took over the Brazilian club Corinithians in 2004. The agent took Tevez to Corinthians before bringing him to England during the last season.
The detention of Corinthians president Alberto Dualib has also been ordered, along with that of Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, whose money is thought to have bankrolled MSI, reports Skysports. Both men face similar charges.
News of Joorabchian’s impending arrest has overshadowed reports that Tevez would wrap up his move to Manchester United in the next few days.
Suspicions of corruption were raised by the failure of money involved in the purchasing of players to be passed through the country, in a chain of events, which has led to accusations of money laundering.
Both MSI and Corinthians have reportedly been unable to clarify the origins of the money, which led to the investigation.
Joorabchian has been at the centre of the furore caused by Tevez’s switch to West Ham United, which concluded at the campaign’s end with the Premier League club being fined 5.5million pounds, having been found guilty of third-party ownership.
Sheffield United, who feel they should be reinstated to the top flight – at West Ham’s expense – have taken the matter to the High Court.