‘I have never tried to avoid taxes’ – Ronaldo
FOOTBALLER Cristiano Ronaldo has told a Spanish judge that he has “never tried to avoid taxes”.
The Real Madrid forward, who is from Portugal, was questioned to determine whether he committed tax fraud worth almost €15m.
Ronaldo spent more than 90 minutes answering the questions of investigating judge Monica Gomez.
According to a statement released by his public relations firm, the 32-year-old told the judge: “I have never hidden anything, and never tried to avoid taxes.”
Judge Gomez took Ronaldo’s evidence as part of an investigation to determine if there are grounds to charge him.
The session at Pozuelo de Alarcon Court No.1 on the outskirts of Madrid was closed to the public because it is part of an ongoing investigation.
In June, a state prosecutor accused Ronaldo of four counts of tax fraud from 2011-14 (£13.1m).
The prosecutor accused the Portugal forward of having used shell companies outside Spain to hide income made from image rights.
The accusation does not involve his salary from Real Madrid. Ronaldo denies any wrongdoing. “Spain’s Tax Office knows all the details about my sources of income because we have reported them,” Ronaldo told the judge, according to his statement.
“I always file my tax returns because I think that we should all file and pay our taxes.
“Those who know me know that I tell my consultants that they must have everything in order and paid up to date because I don’t want trouble.”
Both before and after his court appearance, Ronaldo used an alternative entrance to avoid a large swarm of more than a hundred journalists gathered at the main door. worth €14.7m