Juventus and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo has accepted an €18.8m fine and a suspended sentence after being found guilty of tax fraud in Spain.
The charge relates to unpaid tax on image-rights earnings between 2011-2014, when the 33-year-old was at Real Madrid, with the forward defrauding the tax authorities of approximately €14.7m.
Reuters: Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has accepted an €18.8m (£16.5m) fine and a suspended sentence for tax fraud in Spain
— Sky News Breaking (@SkyNewsBreak) January 22, 2019
As a result, media outlet Reuters have reported that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, who pleaded guilty to the offence, has been fined €18.8m due to the unpaid fees to the relevant tax authorities.
Ronaldo has also accepted a 23-month suspended prison sentence, although won't serve any of that time due to Spanish laws dictating that any offence under two years can be served on probation if it's the defendant's first offence.
This is the second legal case that Ronaldo has had to contend with in a matter of months, with the Juve forward also being accused of allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in Las Vegas a decade ago.
The Portuguese international has strenuously denied the allegations against him while the investigation has gone on, insisting that the encounter was consensual.
Ronaldo moved to Juventus from Real Madrid over the summer in a deal worth £105m, with the forward netting an impressive 16 goals in 28 games for the Old Lady across all competitions.
Source : 90min