Ronaldo accused of £13m tax fraud

Realmadridforwardcristiano Ronaldo has been accused of defrauding Spain’s tax office of €14.7 million (£13m) in unpaid taxes.

Madrid’s regional state prosecutor accused Ronaldo of four accounts of tax fraud from 2011-14. It said the Portugal star “took advantage of a business structure created in 2010 to hide from fiscal authorities income generated in Spain from image rights”.

A statement from the prosecutor said Ronaldo used what it deems a shell company in the Virgin Islands to “create a screen in order to hide his total income from Spain’s Tax Office”. The prosecutor also said that Ronaldo “intentionally” did not declare income of €28.4m (£25m) made from the cession of image rights from 2015-20 to another company located in Spain.

Additionally, the prosecutor accused Ronaldo of declaring €11.5m (£10.1m) earned from 2011-14 in a tax return filed in 2014, when the prosecutor said Ronaldo’s real income during that period was almost €43m (£38m). It added that Ronaldo falsely claimed the income as coming from property, which “greatly” reduced his tax rate.

Ronaldo’s agency had previously said he was up to date on his taxes. Last month, tax officials said Ronaldo adjusted his tax declarations and

0 Cristiano Ronaldo: Tax probe. paid an extra €6m (£5.3m) in 2014. Ronaldo is the latest high-profile player to fall foul of Spain’s tax system. Barcelona forward Lionel Messi was convicted of tax fraud for unpaid income from image rights last year, but he is not expected to serve prison time since it was his first offence.