Ronaldo to accept tax fraud charges as Spanish court date named – reports
Cristiano Ronaldo will accept four counts of tax fraud stemming from his time at Real Madrid and has been called to appear at a court in the Spanish capital on January 14, according to local reports.
AS reports that Ronaldo, who now plays at Juventus in Italy, will be found guilty of the four offences after being accused of defrauding the Spanish treasury to the tune of €14.7 million.
The 33-year-old has already paid off the treasury fine of an estimated €19 million – including a bulk payment of €13.4 million in August, according to reports.
He was also handed a two-year suspended prison sentence, which he will not be required to serve under Spanish law.
READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo to pay tax evasion fine after agreement with Spain authorities
However, he has still been requested by the Spanish authorities to appear in court as the case is formally concluded.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is said to have applied to appear via videolink.
There are conflicting reports as to whether Ronaldo will accept the suspended two-year sentence – with some outlets claiming he is still seeking to replace this with a further €370,000 fine in a bid to wipe the slate clean.
Other reports state that efforts by the player's lawyer, José Antonio Choclán, to replace the charges with the fine have already been rejected.
Ronaldo spent nine hugely successful years in the Spanish capital after moving from Manchester United.
During that time he became the Madrid giants’ all-time top scorer and helped the team to four Champions League titles, to add to the one he claimed with United.
He moved to Turin in a €100 million deal this summer, ostensibly seeking a new challenge but amid reports that he had faced a growing rift with the Madrid hierarchy.
