Source: REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo
[Saba Sports News] According to Italian media reports, the Milan court has dismissed the lawsuit filed by the China Construction Bank demanding that Inter pay the salary of former president Zhang Kangyang. In July 2022, the Hong Kong court ruled that Zhang Kangyang must repay a debt of €320 million to the China Construction Bank, including interest. In March 2023, the Milan appellate court ruled that the Hong Kong court’s decision would also be recognized in Italy. However, Zhang Kangyang has yet to repay the debt, and the Construction Bank filed a new lawsuit in Milan seeking to seize Zhang Kangyang’s salary during his tenure as president of Inter, estimated at €914,000 per year, and to revoke the resolution passed by Inter at the 2019 shareholders’ meeting regarding “Zhang Kangyang waiving his salary.” This week, the Milan court dismissed the Construction Bank’s lawsuit and ordered the bank to pay €11,000 each to both Inter and Zhang Kangyang for legal costs. The Milan court held that Zhang Kangyang’s decision to waive his salary as president of Inter was made prior to his loan from the Construction Bank, and that historically, the position of Inter president has a tradition of not receiving a salary. Furthermore, Inter’s articles of association do not stipulate that salaries must be paid to board members and the president.