Inter Milan would not have been able to compete in the 2005/06 Italian championship if important financial information had come to light, a commission said on Wednesday.

Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti and AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani are being investigated after accusations that some transfer fees were inflated between 2003 and 2005 in order to obtain fictitious capital gains.

Covisoc, the body which monitors Italian soccer club finances, said Inter would not have had the necessary financial security to have been allowed in the 2005/06 championship if full figures had been available.

"Financial balance would have been lost if the club had shown the losses connected to the fictitious capital gains and Inter would not have fitted the parameters asked for by Covisoc for registration in the 2005-06 championship," the commission said in a statement.

However, Inter later denied the accusations.

"FC Internationale wish to make clear that they have never included fictitious capital gains in their own budgets and that they have already presented the necessary and complete technical documentation," the club said in a statement.

Inter were awarded the 2005/06 Serie A title after original winners Juventus were stripped on the championship and demoted for their role in Italy's match-fixing scandal.

Roberto Mancini's side won last season's title on the pitch rather than a court room and so far there is no suggestion from official bodies that the club will face a serious sporting sanction as a result of the transfer probe.

(China Daily via Reuters June 21, 2007)