Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is due to appear in a Spanish court later today, accused of evading millions in tax.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors allege Ronaldo, reported to be the world\u2019s highest paid athlete, has evaded \u20ac14.7m ($17.3m; \u00a313.1m) in tax since 2010.
\nThe Real Madrid star has previously denied the allegation, saying his \u201cconscience is clear\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ronaldo, 32, is the latest in a string of footballers to be pursued by the Spanish tax authorities.<\/p>\n
Argentina\u2019s Lionel Messi, who plays for Barcelona, was handed a 21-month prison sentence after being found guilty of the same charge last year.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, the court ruled he could pay \u20ac252,000 in place of jail time.<\/p>\n
However, Messi was only accused of evading \u20ac4.1m in tax, \u20ac10.6m less than Ronaldo, who will give evidence in his case at a court in the Madrid suburb of Pozuelo de Alarcon on Monday.<\/p>\n
According to prosecutors, Ronaldo allegedly took \u201cadvantage of a company structure created in 2010 to hide income generated in Spain from his image rights from tax authorities\u201d which was a \u201cvoluntary and conscious breach of his fiscal obligations in Spain\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ronaldo\u2019s management has also denied the allegations.<\/p>\n
But if the case is sent to trial and he is found guilty, the Portuguese forward could face a fine of \u201cat least \u20ac28m\u201d and a prison sentence of three-and-a-half years, the Gestha union of experts at Spain\u2019s Inland Revenue says.<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
Credit: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is due to appear in a Spanish court later today, accused of evading millions in tax. Prosecutors allege Ronaldo, reported to be the world\u2019s highest paid athlete, has evaded \u20ac14.7m ($17.3m; \u00a313.1m) in tax since 2010. The Real Madrid star has previously denied the allegation, saying his \u201cconscience is clear\u201d. Ronaldo, 32, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[142],"tags":[9755,9756,9757],"yoast_head":"\n