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Cristiano Ronaldo appears in court on tax charges | Cristiano Ronaldo appears in court on tax charges |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has appeared at a Spanish court where he was facing allegations he evaded millions in tax. | |
Prosecutors accuse Ronaldo, reported to be the world's highest paid athlete, of evading €14.7m ($17.3m; £13.1m) in tax. | |
He had been expected to make a statement after the pre-trial hearing, but left without saying a word. | |
The Real Madrid star, 32, has previously denied the allegations, saying his "conscience is clear". | |
Ronaldo, 32, is the latest in a string of footballers to be pursued by the Spanish tax authorities. | Ronaldo, 32, is the latest in a string of footballers to be pursued by the Spanish tax authorities. |
Argentina's Lionel Messi, who plays for Barcelona, was handed a 21-month prison sentence after being found guilty of the same charge last year. | Argentina's Lionel Messi, who plays for Barcelona, was handed a 21-month prison sentence after being found guilty of the same charge last year. |
Earlier this month, the court ruled he could pay €252,000 in place of jail time. | Earlier this month, the court ruled he could pay €252,000 in place of jail time. |
However, Messi was only accused of evading €4.1m in tax, €10.6m less than Ronaldo. | However, Messi was only accused of evading €4.1m in tax, €10.6m less than Ronaldo. |
Ronaldo spent an hour-and-a-half giving evidence to judges at a court in the Madrid suburb of Pozuelo de Alarcón on Monday. | |
The media had gathered on the court steps in front of a lectern and speakers, set up by Real Madrid in anticipation of a speech by the footballer. | |
But Ronaldo avoided journalists by arriving and leaving via an underground garage. | |
BBC Sport's Richard Conway said Ronaldo had been expected to strike a "defiant tone", but instead decided to go straight home, earning him a chorus of boos from the gathered press. | |
According to prosecutors, Ronaldo allegedly took "advantage of a company structure created in 2010 to hide income generated in Spain from his image rights from tax authorities", which was a "voluntary and conscious breach of his fiscal obligations in Spain". | |
Ronaldo's management has also denied the allegations. | |
But if the case is sent to trial and he is found guilty, the Portuguese forward could face a fine of "at least €28m" and a prison sentence of three-and-a-half years, the Gestha union of experts at Spain's Inland Revenue says. | But if the case is sent to trial and he is found guilty, the Portuguese forward could face a fine of "at least €28m" and a prison sentence of three-and-a-half years, the Gestha union of experts at Spain's Inland Revenue says. |