Cristiano Ronaldo Has Been Investigated For Avoiding Taxes On €150 Million Earnings

Cristiano Ronaldo recently called 2016 “The best year of my life ” after winning the Champions League with Real Madrid, as well as the Euro 2016 title with Portugal, and signing a new contract with the Spanish club.

Cristiano Ronaldo Has Been Investigated For Avoiding Taxes On €150 Million Earnings

The latest piece of news involving the 31-year-old Portuguese forward, however, is not particularly great.

Last week, Football Leaks and their media partners released stories alleging Ronaldo has directed €150 million ($161 million) through a tax haven in an attempt to hide his income and avoid paying taxes on it. Now, Spanish tax authorities have confirmed that the Real Madrid star has been under investigation for 12 months, and that he could likely face charges in court.

Several other major soccer players, including Barcelona stars Lionel Messi, Javier Mascherano and Neymar Jr, have been investigated for similar reasons in recent years. Messi, for example, recently avoided jail time for tax evasion by agreeing to pay what he owed while receiving a suspended sentence.

Under Spanish law, first-time offenders can have their sentences suspended, which means they serve no time, if the sentence is for two years or less.

Ronaldo’s representative have issued a statement, saying their client is fully compliant with tax obligations, and denied setting up a tax evasion scheme.

The Portuguese stands accused of failing to pay tax on €150 million of his earnings accrued for image rights between the years of 2009 and 2020. Leaked documents reveal Ronaldo channelled this money to several offshore locations, including the British Virgin Islands, in large payments to avoid his fiscal responsibilities.

Der Spiegel  claims phantom businesses set up in the Caribbean archipelago hide around $50,000m in total, with Ronaldo’s funds alleged to be stored in a small law firm above a pharmacy that is pictured in the German newspaper.

The three-time Ballon d’Or winner also allegedly put his money in offshore accounts in Ireland, Panama and Switzerland.

The new leaks accuse Ronaldo and ex-Madrid manager Jose Mourinho during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu, along with current and former Real Madrid stars Pepe, Luka Modric, Fabio Coentrao, Ricardo Carvalho, Mesut Ozil and Angel Di Maria.

In a statement issued by the Spanish club on Tuesday, the team called for “maximum respect” for Ronaldo.

“Following the information published in the last few days and having seen the certificate published by the Tax Agency, through which it is confirmed that our player, Cristiano Ronaldo, is aware of all his tax obligations, Real Madrid demands the maximum respect for a player such as Cristiano Ronaldo, whose conduct has been absolutely exemplary during the whole of his career at our club,” it read.

Jose Maria Mollinedo, secretary general of the workers’ union for Spain’s tax authorities, Gestha, claims Cristiano could be facing at least six years behind bars.

“We would be advising aggravated tax fraud,” he told RAC1. “This means a minimum prison sentence of two years for each defrauded year. If the investigation is looking at the last three years, that would mean at least six years of imprisonment.”

However, Ronaldo could just end up serving a suspended sentence like Messi.

MILAN, ITALY – MAY 28: Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid in action during the UEFA Champions League Final match between Real Madrid and Club Atletico de Madrid at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on May 28, 2016 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)