Spain’s prosecutor’s office in Madrid filed a tax fraud lawsuit against Portugal and Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday. The 32-year-old is being accused of defrauding Spanish authorities of 14.7 million euros between 2011 and 2014.
In a statement, the prosecutor’s office said Ronaldo hid his income in Spain from his image rights by knowingly using a “business structure” created in 2010, reported Reuters. The lawsuit is based on a report sent to the prosecutor’s office from Spain’s tax agency AEAT.
Ronaldo’s representatives have so far been unavailable for comment.
With earnings over 73 million pounds, Forbes had named Ronaldo the highest paid sporting celebrity in the world this year. Ronaldo is also number five on the list of world’s highest paid celebrities. He also enjoys a number of lucrative sponsorship deals. Ronaldo is sponsored by a number of companies, including Nike, Armani, and Tag Heuer, among others. He also owns his own brand, CR7, to sell underwear and sportswear. He recently invested 54 million euros to partner the Pestana Hotel Group and launch four hotels.
Earlier, Barcelona football star Lionel Messi and his father were handed a 21-month jail sentence and a fine of 2.09-million ($2.25 million) by the Supreme Court in Spain for tax fraud.
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