Cristiano Ronaldo sidesteps media during court appearance for tax fraud probe
The Portuguese star is denying any wrongdoing as a judge decides whether or not he committed a crime
Cristiano Ronaldo appeared before a Spanish judge on Monday as part of an investigation to determine whether or not the Portugal forward committed tax fraud.
The Real Madrid player spent more than 90 minutes answering the questions of investigating judge Monica Gomez. The session at Pozuelo de Alarcon Court No 1 on the outskirts of Madrid was closed to the public because it is part of an ongoing investigation.
The 32-year-old Ronaldo used an alternative entrance to avoid a large swarm of journalists gathered near the main door to the court.
Judge Gomez took Ronaldo’s testimony as part of an investigation to determine if there are grounds to charge him.
In June, a state prosecutor accused Ronaldo of four counts of tax fraud from 2011-14 worth €14.7 million (HK$135 million). The prosecutor accused the Portugal forward of having used shell companies outside Spain to hide income made from image rights. The accusation does not involve his salary from Real Madrid.
