Portsmouth chief executive charged with tax evasion

Portsmouth FC’s chief executive Peter Storrie will appear in court accused of evading £250,000 when he sign on the team’s mid-fielder.

The allegation relate to the Storrie’s signing of Amdy Faye, the Senegal midfielder, for £1.5 million in August 2003. A statement on the Portsmouth website, said the allegations were “seriously flawed” and that there was no evidence to support the claims.

“We wish to state as a matter of record that Mr Storrie will be shown to have acted in the proper and wholly professional discharge of his duties as Portsmouth Football Club’s chief executive,” the statement said.

“Urgent steps will be taken to highlight the lack of evidence presented by HMRC in an effort to conclude as quickly as possible this unwarranted prosecution.”

Storrie has been on bail since November 2007 when, along with Harry Redknapp and Milan Mandaric, the Portsmouth manager and chairman were arrested as part of a joint investigation into corruption in football by City of London Police and Revenue & Customs.

The case continues in City of Westminster magistrates on November 16.