Pompey boss facing tax charges

Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie has been charged with tax evasion. Prosecutors says Storrie concealed the signing-on fee for midfielder Amdy Faye, by paying directly into the player’s bank account. Storrie will appear before UK Magistrates on November 16th. It was alleged that Faye was paid a 250,000 pound signing-on fee, on which tax and national insurance was not paid. The charge alleges Storrie cheated the “public revenue” between July 1 2003, and August 12 2005. It claimed the money was paid into the account of agent Willie McKay, who has also been questioned by police. Storrie vowed to clear his name two weeks ago when he was informed of the decision to prosecute him. He issued a statement insisting he will defend himself in the “strongest possible terms” and is confident he will be exonerated. Mr Storrie has been on bail since being arrested in November 2007 on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and false accounting. The inquiry into Mr Storrie’s finances was part of a wider investigation by City of London Police and HM Revenue and Customs into corruption in football known as Operation Apprentice. He was one of nine football executives questioned by police, all of whom denied any wrongdoing.