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Plea bargains approved for ex-Juventus execs Agnelli, Nedved

Plea bargain deals for former Juventus president Andrea Agnelli and other ex-members of the club's board in a false accounting trial were granted by a judge on Monday.

Agnelli's includes a a 20-month suspended sentence and possibly sets up his return to football after his sports ban expires next month.

The trial, which began after prosecutors started investigating Juventus in 2021, contributed to Agnelli's downfall at the record 36-time Serie A champions.

Former Juventus vice president Pavel Nedved was granted a deal of 14 months and former Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici got 18 months -- with their sentences also suspended.

Former Juventus CEO Maurizio Arrivabene was cleared of wrongdoing by the court in Rome -- where the trial was moved to after starting in Turin.

Juventus, which is listed on the Milan stock exchange, was fined €156,000 ($183,000) and also reached a settlement with about 75 investors who the club will pay slightly more than €1 million ($1.2m).

The case prompted Agnelli and Juventus' entire board of directors to resign in 2022. Agnelli was then given two separate bans by sports authorities, the last of which expires in October.

Juventus was hit with a 10-point penalty in the 2022-23 season and then removed by UEFA from the Conference League for financial irregularities.

Juventus and its managers were investigated for cashing in on illegal commissions from transfers and loans of players and illicit handling of players' salaries. The case also explored whether investors were misled with invoices being issued for non-existent transactions to demonstrate income that in turn could be deemed false accounting.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.