Real Madrid have expressed
"full confidence" in Cristiano Ronaldo after their star forward was
accused of tax fraud by the Spanish authorities.
On Tuesday, prosecutors in Madrid
filed a complaint to a court in Pozuelo de Alarcon accusing Ronaldo of a
"voluntary" and "conscious" breach of his tax obligations.
According to a letter sent to the
court by the prosecutor's office, the 32-year-old is alleged to have created a
"business structure" in 2010 to conceal his earnings from image
rights between 2011 and 2014. He is claimed to have defrauded the Public
Treasury out of €14.7 million.
Ronaldo's representatives Gestifute
issued a lengthy statement strongly denying the accusation, insisting "there has never been concealment, or the slightest
intention to conceal" earnings.
Gestifute, the group owned by the
Madrid star's agent Jorge Mendes, offered a breakdown of their client's
arrangements for payments related to image rights, which they say does not
amount to an offshore structure for evading taxes and has not been altered
since the company in question, Tollin, was established in 2004 when Ronaldo
signed for Manchester United.
Madrid has now also offered their
support to the four-time Ballon d'Or winner, believing him to be innocent of
any wrongdoing.
A statement released on the club's
official website read: "Real Madrid C.F have full confidence in our player
Cristiano Ronaldo, who we understand has acted in accordance with legality
regarding the fulfillment of his fiscal obligations.
"Since his arrival at Real
Madrid C.F in July 2009, Cristiano Ronaldo has always shown a clear will to fulfill
all his tax obligations.
"Real Madrid C.F. are
absolutely convinced that our player Cristiano Ronaldo will prove his total
innocence in this process.
"Real Madrid C.F. hope that
justice is done as quickly as possible so that his innocence can be proven as
soon as possible."
Ronaldo's accusations come in the
wake of Lionel Messi’s conviction for tax fraud.
The Argentine was found guilty
last year and sentenced to 21 months in jail, but will not spend time in
prison as sentences under two years can be spent on probation.
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