Real Madrid defender Marcelo has agreed to a four-month suspended prison sentence. The Brazilian will pay £670,000 after reaching an agreement for tax fraud.
The Brazilian international joined the likes of Jose Mourinho and Alexis Sanchez in being accused of defrauding Spanish tax authorities last year.
According to Madrid’s public prosecutor, the alleged irregularities were linked to the use of foreign firms to handle the earnings of his image rights.
In the complaint, the public prosecutor said the defender, who joined Real Madrid in 2007, had used the tax structure seeking an “illegal fiscal benefit”. The case dates back to 2013. El Mundo reports that the 30-year-old has come to an agreement with authorities.
Marcelo has reportedly negotiated a shorter than expected sentence, with his fine amounting to only 40 per cent of the amount he was accused of defrauding.
“It’s claimed Marcelo admitted his guilt, stating he admitted loaning his image rights to a Uruguayan firm called ‘Birsen Trade S.A.’, a shell company which ” “lacks the human and material resources to perform its functions.”
Despite accepting a four-month sentence, Marcelo will not see the inside of a prison with sentences of less than two years suspended in Spain for a first offence.