Cristiano Ronaldo Accused Of £13m Tax Fraud
REUTERS/Kacper Pempel
Prosecutors in Spain have filed a lawsuit against Cristiano Ronaldo, who is believed to have knowingly diverted income.
The Portuguese superstar has allegedly defrauded £13m of tax capital between 2011 and 2014, when he diverted his income through British Virgin Islands.
The prosecutors have released an official statement which says that the reigning Ballon d’Or winner hid his income from image rights by using a ‘business structure’. The authorities have also termed Ronaldo’s decision to not pay correct tax as “conscious and willing”.
The prosecutors have further revealed that the lawsuit against Ronaldo is based on a report submitted by Spain’s tax agency AEAT.
The Real Madrid superstar was benefited from “the beckham law,” which allows foreign sportspersons to pay 24.75% income tax rather than the standard 48% applied on Spanish athletes. However, all sportspersons must pay tax on all kinds of income gained in Spain.
It is being reported that Ronaldo has diverted about €150m of his image rights through British Virgin Islands – an action deemed to be carried out in wholesome knowledge.
Tax frauds cases on footballers in Spain are nothing new, as Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Neymar have also faced similar charges in the past. Former Barcelona player Alexis Sanchez was also recently charged for a tax fraud, which he accepted and also paid fine for.
Cristiano Ronaldo or his representatives are yet to release a statement over the incident.
Written by Shorya Panwar 
Has 20+ years of experience managing Schalke in Football Manager 2017. Believes wing-backs are the most complete footballers in the modern/evolved football. Writes weird stuff on his personal blog.