Harry Redknapp accused of evading tax through offshore account

HARRY REDKNAPP, the Tottenham Hotspur manager, was accused of opening an offshore bank account in Monaco to take a "bung" from Milan Mandaric, the former Portsmouth chairman, Southwark crown court heard yesterday.

On the opening day of the pair's trial on charges of tax evasion, the prosecution alleged that Redknapp, who was Portsmouth's manager at the time of the transfer of Peter Crouch to Aston Villa in 2002, opened the account in the name of Rosie47, which apparently referred to the name of his dog and the year of his birth, the Guardian reported.

Redknapp was accused of depositing two untaxed payments from Mandaric of totalling £189,500 into the account shortly after Crouch's transfer.

John Black QC, prosecuting for the Crown, was quoted by the Guardian as saying: "These payments were a bung or offshore bonus that the parties must have known" they would not be paying tax on."

The first charge alleges that between 1 April 2002 and 28 November 2007 Mandaric paid $145,000 (£93,100) into the Rosie47 account to avoid paying tax and national insurance. The second alleges that $150,000 was paid by Mandaric into the same account between 1 May 2004 and 28 November 2007.

Under the terms of Redknapp's employment by Portsmouth, the prosecution said that he received 10% of the net profit of any player transfers while working as director of football then 5% after he had become manager.

The case continues.