Luka Modric's long-standing court case may have finally been concluded after he was cleared of perjury by a Croatian court. The Real Madrid midfielder, who recently received the Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year honor, was indicted for allegedly giving a false testimony at the trial of Zdravko Mamic - an ex-executive of his former club Dinamo Zagreb.
The testimony was presented by Modric in relation to his transfer from the Croatian club to Tottenham Hotspur in 2008. The Croatian skipper's prosecution formed part of a bigger case of tax evasion and tapping off profits from player transfers of which Zdravko Mamic and three other officials were handed jail sentences for.
Prosecutors argument stems from the fact that Modric, who reportedly signed an annex to his contract which established the terms for future transfer fees, falsely said he had signed the agreement in July 2004. With the document having actually been signed in 2008 when he had already left the Dinamo Zagreb, the attorneys insinuates that the Croatian skipper lied under oath.
It is believed that Dinamo Zagreb lost a staggering €15 million (£13.1 million) whereas the Croatian state was defrauded of €1.5 million. Initial reports from the court proceeding claimed that Luka Modric perjured himself in order to protect the interest of his former employees.
However, a Zagreb criminal court vetoed the accusation against the Real Madrid midfielder by citing that the charge against him is "premature" as the final verdict in the corruption trial itself is yet to be passed.
Despite the arrival of the new verdict, Luka Modric's case is not completely over as the prosecutors can file an appeal.
