Brazilian soccer star Neymar was fined more than US$3.3 million ($5.3m) for violating local environmental rules during renovations at his mansion in the city of Mangaratiba outside Rio de Janeiro.
The Mangaratiba city hall said in a statement Monday night it had issued four fines totalling about 16 million Brazilian reals after Neymar was accused of illegally building an artificial lake at his mansion.
“Among the dozens of infractions that were noticed at the player’s property are the start of an unauthorised construction which requires environmental control; capture of a river course and detouring it without authorisation; moving rock and sand; supressing vegetation without authorisation and non-compliance of an embargo,” the statement said.
A city hall document obtained by The Associated Press says that the latter charge is related to Neymar’s decision to swim in the artificial lake despite the fact that local authorities had shown up to forbid him from that area due to environmental consequences.
“Because of that, the athlete was fined again,” it said.