Ronaldo accepts €19m fine over tax evasion case
Cristiano Ronaldo has been slapped with a €19m (£16.6m) fine after pleading guilty to tax evasion charges in a Spanish court.
The football superstar’s court appearance, which lasted for only several minutes, ended with a settlement of an €18.8m fine and suspended 23-month prison sentence for Ronaldo.
Spain’s legal system often allows for sentences under two years to be spent on probation, meaning the Juventus player will not serve any time behind bars unless he commits a further offence.
The deal with prosecutors follows on from allegations that Ronaldo, who is on a four-year deal with Italian club Juventus that is reportedly worth more than €340m, was accused of defrauding authorities of €14.8m in unpaid taxes between 2011 and 2014.
The star arrived at a court in Madrid with his fiancee Georgina Rodriguez, after his request to appear by video or by entering in a car to avoid the media was denied by a judge.
Ronaldo’s case comes in the wake of several other high-profile tax cases involving fellow famous footballers, including Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Real Madrid’s Marcelo Vieira.
Ex-Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso also appeared in the courts today amid accusations that he defrauded tax authorities of about €2m euros from 2010-12. Alonso has denied any wrongdoing.