Cristiano Ronaldo Not Planning To Pay Tax Authorities Prior To Legal Proceedings

Cristiano Ronaldo will stand trial on July 31, accused of defrauding the Spanish tax authorities of €14.7M between '11 and '14, "and he does not plan to pay that money back before legal proceedings begin," according to the EFE. The speculation that the player "would voluntarily pay that sum to the authorities has been ruled out." Sources at Ronaldo's agency, Gestifute, confirmed this decision (EFE, 6/22). MUNDO DEPORTIVO reported German publication Der Spiegel claimed that Ronaldo "manipulated the date when he agreed to cede his image rights to a business in the Virgin Islands." Ronaldo said that offshore entity Tollin was created in '08, the year before his arrival at Real Madrid. Der Spiegel "had access to a draft of a contract in which a note from one of Ronaldo's advisers indicated the need to 'add a bank account that existed in '08.'" This "would dismantle the 'good will' argument being made by Ronaldo's defense" (MUNDO DEPORTIVO, 6/22).