Payments 'not a major factor' in Mandaric's life (From Daily Echo)

Payments 'not a major factor' in Mandaric's life

12:15pm Tuesday 31st January 2012 in Crime

The chairman accused of sending bungs to Harry Redknapp told a court today that the payments were "not a major factor in my life".

Milan Mandaric said the pair were friends again after their "divorce" when Redknapp joined Portsmouth's rivals Southampton.

He also said Redknapp's £4.2million contract was the maximum the manager could receive over three years.

Mandaric said "I was a busy man, I was travelling" when letters were sent between lawyers about the money in Redknapp's Monaco account.

"I didn't put it as my number one priority, basically," he told Southwark Crown Court.

He also said Rob Beasley, a News of the World sports reporter, had tried to "debalance me" in asking him questions about the account.

Mandaric's lawyer sent a letter to Redknapp's solicitor asking for the money to be returned, the court heard.

The former Portsmouth chairman said: "It was not that I needed this to come back immediately. Eventually I would get the money back."

He added "it was more important that we were going in the right direction" at Portsmouth and as friends.

"I really was not in favour of this letter, it was between Harry and me," Mandaric said.

"I didn't press with him. To me it was most important that we get back on the track ... this was not a major factor in my life."

Mandaric added: "As of today we are the same friends as we were before 2004."

Lord Macdonald QC questioned Mandaric about reports that Redknapp was earning £4.2 million-a-year.

Mandaric said the reports were incorrect, adding: "That would be the full value of his contract over three years."

Both Redknapp, 64, of Poole, Dorset, and Mandaric, 73, from Oadby, Leicestershire, deny two counts of cheating the public revenue when Redknapp was manager of Portsmouth Football Club.

Mandaric said allegations that he was a tax dodger were "sad, unfair and an insult" to his family, his associates and "even some of those supporters".

"I paid £55million income taxes for six years," he added.

He said "not in a million years" would he have paid £189,000 into the account to avoid taxes.

Mandaric - who said he was worth "more than £100million" at the time of the allegations - told jurors he underestimated the abilities of Peter Crouch when Redknapp signed the striker at Portsmouth.

"So the big, tall guy didn't look like a footballer," Mandaric said.

Mandaric said he told Redknapp: "If this is the best you can do, you will end up paying me money."

England striker Crouch was eventually sold to Aston Villa for a £3million profit, triggering a bonus for Redknapp in his contract.

The first charge of cheating the public revenue alleges that between April 1, 2002 and November 28, 2007 Mandaric paid 145,000 US dollars (£93,100) into the account.

The second charge for the same offence relates to a sum of 150,000 US dollars (£96,300) allegedly paid between May 1, 2004 and November 28, 2007.