Cristiano Ronaldo will reportedly accept a plea deal in his Spanish tax evasion case that includes a suspended jail sentences. The Real Madrid superstar has been accused by Spanish tax authorities of defrauding the government of £12.9 million, although he denies those allegations.
On Friday June 15, it was reported that Ronaldo had verbally agreed to a plea deal that included a two year jail term and £16.4 million fine, but had not yet signed an official agreement. The news broke mere hours before Ronaldo was scheduled to be on the pitch representing Portugal’s national team against Spain at the World Cup in Moscow on Friday.
In the report, it is stated that under Spain’s current tax structure, first-time offenders sentenced to two years or under are allowed to serve their sentences on probation, so Ronaldo likely will not do any time behind bars. Spain’s tax authority had previously rejected a separate offer last summer from the footballer to pay back the £12.9 million that it claimed he owed.
The country has been cracking down on tax loopholes for footballers in recent years, most notably handing down a 21-month suspended prison sentence to Lionel Messi in 2016 for tax fraud.