Popescu receives suspended prison sentence

Former Romania defender Gheorghe Popescu has been handed a three-year suspended prison sentence for his part in a corruption scandal.

The 45-year-old was sentenced at the Romanian Appeal Court on Monday after being found guilty of fraud, tax evasion and money laundering despite originally being cleared of the charges in April.

Popescu, along with the other defendants, were accused of not declaring the full transfer fees they received for players when selling them to foreign clubs between 1999 and 2005.

Some of the transfers that were involved included Nicolae Mitea and Cosmin Contra’s moves from Dinamo Bucharest to Ajax and Alaves respectively.

Former Barcelona captain Popescu’s sentence was not the harshest received.

Former Dinamo Bucharest executive president Cristian Borcea was given seven years in prison whilst George Copos, who is the majority stakeholder in Rapid Bucharest, was given five years.

Steaua Bucharest director Mihai Stoica was also sentenced to four years imprisonment with limited rights for the first three of those.

All the defendants can appeal their sentences at the Supreme Court.