Cristiano Ronaldo pleads guilty over tax fraud and fined £17m

Cristiano Ronaldo has accepted a £17m fine and a suspended 23-month jail sentence after pleading guilty to tax fraud in Spain.

Ronaldo had previously agreed the deal with Spanish state prosecutors and tax authorities but still had to appear in court to sign off the agreemeent.

His appearance lasted a matter of minutes but brought a huge media presence to court in Madrid, with judges refusing his request to appear by video or to enter court via a back entrance.

Ronaldo had been accused of defrauding authorities of £12.9m in unpaid taxes between 2011 and 2014, during his time with Real Madrid.

It was claimed Ronaldo, who now plays for Juventus, did not declare income of around £25m from image rights.

The prosecutor also alleged that the forward falsely reported income as coming from real estate, which it said had greatly reduced his tax rate.

Source: Skysports