Ronaldo set to be jailed 2 years if found guilty of tax fraud in January

Ronaldo set to be jailed 2 years if found guilty of tax fraud in January

Juventus striker Cristiano Ronaldo will appear before a court in Madrid to hear the verdict of his €14.7million tax fraud charges on January 14, in Madrid.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was charged in 2017 by Spanish prosecutors over monies owed from image rights.

This is coming after a shell company which was used to hide parts of the 33-year-old's income between 2011 and 2014.

"The accused made use of a corporate structure created in 2010 to hide from the tax authority income generated in Spain through image rights," said a statement by prosecutors at the time the charges were first brought.

And now the Portuguese talisman, whose summer move to Serie A was made contingent by authorities upon reaching a settlement with the courts over what was owed, will appear before the court to hear the final verdict - which could be a two-year prison sentence.

But the former Real Madrid star has applied to the courts to appear via a video-link.

According to Spanish law, jail sentences of two years and below are to be suspended for first-time offenders, pending the accused not committing any further crimes in that country during that period.

José Antonio Choclán who is lawyer to Ronaldo, had lobbied the courts for the sentence to be converted to a €375,000 fine.

The same plea was negotiated for Ronaldo's Portugal teammate, Fábio Coentrão, for similar offences but that deal was rejected by presecutors.

The final bill for the ex-Manchester United forward will ultimately top €18.9million once fines and interest are factored in.

Lionel Messi was also hit with a suspended jail sentence in May 2017 for similar offences relating to hidden income and tax evasion, but the Barcelona main man has not served a custodial sentence.

Comments

Keep up to date with our latest articles and uploads...