DI MARIA IS NO ANGEL
Argentine fined RM9.6m and sentenced to one year in prison after admitting to tax fraud
ANGEL Di Maria has been handed a oneyear prison sentence and fined £1.76 million (RM9.6 million) after admitting tax fraud.
The former Manchester United winger admitted to two separate counts of fraud which each carry a six-month sentence.
Now with Paris Saint-Germain, Di Maria was found guilty of defrauding the Spanish government a sum of £1.14 million during his time at Real Madrid between 2010 and 2014.
However, the 29-year-old is unlikely to spend any time behind bars. In Spain, sentences of under two-years are often suspended if the convicted person has no previous criminal record.
The Argentine had previously made a deal with authorities to avoid a trial at the Spanish Supreme Court.
Last year, Lionel Messi was found guilty of tax fraud along with his father and, though the Barcelona star was sentenced to 21 months in prison, did not serve time as it was suspended.
Jose Mourinho, meanwhile, has come out fighting in a row with the Spanish tax authorities, claiming he paid more than €26 million (RM124 million) between 2010-2013.
United have vowed to stand by their manager after he was accused of defrauding the taxman of €3.3 million.
The United boss, valued at £61 million by the Sunday Times Rich List last month, faces allegations of not paying taxes on image rights during his time as Real Madrid coach, with a lawsuit filed against him by the Public Prosecutor’s office in the capital.
However, a statement by his agency Gestifute read: “Jose Mourinho has not received any notification with regards to the news published today.
“To this date, neither the Spanish tax authorities, nor the public prosecutor have contacted Jose Mourinho or his advisers, who were hired for the inspection process.
“Jose Mourinho, who lived in Spain from June 2010 until May 2013, paid more than €26 million in taxes, with an average tax rate over 41 per cent, and accepted the regularisation proposals made by the Spanish tax authorities in 2015, regarding 2011 and 2012, and entered into a settlement agreement regarding 2013.”
Cristiano Ronaldo, who played under Mourinho at Real Madrid, has been called to testify on July 31 over allegations that he hid £12.9 million income from tax authorities. Daily Mail