Spurs coach Redknapp faces trial in court for shunning taxes

London, Jan 24(ANI): Tottenham Hotspurs manager Harry Redknapp is currently facing trial in a tax evasion case in a Southwark Crown Court.

During the trial the prosecution asserted that Redknapp has ducked paying income tax and national insurance dues.

It is alleged that his former employee at Portsmouth FC, Serbian billionaire Milan Mandarin, paid him two offshore bungs worth 189,500 pounds into his Monaco bank account in 2002 and 2007.

Meanwhile, both Redknapp and Mandarin, 73 have denied two counts of cheating the public revenue, The Sun reports.

Prosecutor John Black told the jury that both parties must have known they were shunning taxes as soon as the case opened.

"These payments were a bung or offshore bonus that the parties had absolutely no intention of paying taxes for," said Black in front of the jury.

Redknapp has been charged under his real name 'Henry'. The prosecution termed him as a man who is 'unusually' talented and a 'hard-headed businessman'.

The major focal point of the trial was the purchase of Peter Crouch for 1,250,000 pounds before he was sold for 4.5 million pounds.

The prosecution also presented a string of documents and Redknapp's signatures in front of the jurors and claimed that the bonuses paid to Redknapp during his tenure at the club would sum up to 500,000 pound depending on the gains the club made on player transfers.

Black also informed the court that Redknapp under his highly well paid contract used to get ten per cent of net profit on player transfers during the start but it was later reduced to five per cent.

"He had a highly lucrative employment contract," said Black.

"Redknapp was investigated by HM Revenue and Customs officials over his transfer dealings at West Ham United, who he managed between 1994 and 2001," he added. (ANI)