Ronaldo to Appear in Court January over Tax Evasion Case

Ronaldo to Appear in Court January over Tax Evasion Case

Football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo will be tried for tax fraud on January 21, a Spanish court has said.

Ronaldo is expected to plead guilty and receive a suspended two-year sentence, in agreement with a deal the Portugal forward struck with Spain’s state prosecutor and its tax authorities this year.

The deal includes Ronaldo agreeing to also pay a fine of close to €19m (£17.1m) for the reduced sentence.

In Spain, a judge can suspend sentences for two years or less for first-time offenders in civil cases.

Last year, a state prosecutor accused Ronaldo of four counts of tax fraud from 2011-14 worth €14.7m (£13.2m). Ronaldo was accused of having used shell companies outside Spain to hide income made from image rights.

The accusation does not involve his salary from former club Real Madrid, but mainly from image rights and other endorsements he received while at the Spanish capital.

Ronaldo, 33, left Madrid to play for Juventus last summer, and has scored 12 goals for the Italian champions so far.