Cristiano Ronaldo tax fraud case: Juventus star accepts suspended jail sentence in £16.5m deal
The Portuguese footballer has returned to Madrid since starring in Turin for the Old Lady, who won to secure a nine-point advantage at the top of Serie A
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Your support makes all the difference.Cristiano Ronaldo has accepted a fine and a suspended jail term for tax fraud in Spain on Tuesday, signing a deal to settle a case which will cost him a total of €18.8 million (£16.5 million).
The 33-year-old Juventus forward is unlikely to serve any time in jail as the sentence was expected to be within a two-year threshold that can be served on probation as a first offence under Spanish law.
Ronaldo featured for the Old Lady in last night's 3-0 win over Chievo, failing to score at the Allianz Stadium.
He arrived at the court smiling and gave a thumbs up to the cameras despite having his request denied to feature via video or to enter the building by car to avoid the media.
The charges relate to unpaid tax between 2011 and 2014 during his time at the Bernabeu with Real Madrid.
The case is predominantly concerning lucrative image rights deals with prosecutors claiming the proceeds were funnelled through low-tax companies in foreign nations to avoid paying the required tax.
The initial accusation in 2017 levelled at Ronaldo by prosecutors insisted that it was a "voluntary and conscious breach of his fiscal obligations in Spain".
But the player's representatives insist it was a misunderstanding over what was and was not required under Spanish law.
A Spanish court has suspended a tax fraud trial against Xabi Alonso, who appeared to face charges for offences related to image rights
Prosecutors were seeking a five-year sentence and a €4 million fine for the former Real Madrid player.
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