A court in Spain has found Real Madrid star,
Cristiano Ronaldo guilty of evading tax in the
country.
eal Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has reached a deal with
Spanish tax authorities to serve two years in prison and pay an
18.8 million euro ($21.8 million) fine in a tax evasion case,
newspaper El Mundo reported on Friday.
Ronaldo is unlikely to serve any time in jail under the deal because
Spanish law states that a sentence of under two years for a first
offence can be served on probation.
The 33-year-old Portuguese footballer is accused of evading 14.7
million euros in taxes and, through his agents, has denied the
allegations. Ronaldo is due to play for Portugal on Friday in a
World Cup match against Spain.
Gestifute, the agency representing the player, was not immediately
available to comment on the report on Friday. The Spanish tax
agency also declined to comment.
Spanish courts have recently cracked down on tax evasion among
leading footballers.
Barcelona’s Lionel Messi was handed a 21-month prison sentence
in 2017 on similar charges but under Spanish law was able to
exchange the penalty for a fine.
Between 2005 and 2010, foreign players in Spain were protected
under the so-called “Beckham law” allowing them to curb their
taxes. But as the financial crisis bit deeper, that exemption was
lifted, paving the way for the cases.
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