31-07-2017 Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo denies tax evasion claims during Madrid court appearance.

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo denies tax evasion claims during Madrid court appearance.

Ronaldo, who has previously denied all the charges through his agents, arrived at the buildings of the Court of First Instance and Instruction No. 1 in Pozuelo de Alarcon, Madrid, around 11 a.m. local time and spent an hour-and-a-half in front of Judge Monica Gomez Ferrer.
No members of the media were permitted inside the court, and a plan for the Portugal captain to read a prepared statement afterward was shelved, with a Gestifute statement instead released almost two hours later.

He said I always make my tax returns on a voluntary basis because I think we all have to declare and pay taxes based on our income.
"Those who know me know what I ask my advisers to do: have everything up date and paid promptly, because I do not want any problems.

Cristiano Ronaldo said he "has never hidden anything" and told his advisers to always make sure he paid what he owed correctly and in time, in a statement released after the Real Madrid star spent 90 minutes answering to charges of a €14.7 million tax fraud in a Madrid court on Monday morning.

Based on the evidence heard on Monday, Gomez Ferrer will then decide whether to take the case forward and set a trial date. If found guilty, Ronaldo could be ordered to pay back taxes and a fine -- which could be as high as €50 million -- and experts have said he risks a custodial sentence if he fails to comply.

This is the time to let justice run its course. I believe in justice and I hope that, in this case, once, again, there will be a fair decision," Ronaldo said.
"In order to avoid any unnecessary pressure, or any contribution to a parallel trial, I've decided I won't make any more statements on this subject until the decision is made.

Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane says Ronaldo is expected to join up with the squad on their return to Europe on Saturday. He is then unlikely to feature in the European Super Cup against Manchester United in Skopje on Aug. 8, or the Spanish Supercopa games against Barcelona on Aug. 13 and 16.

                                                                   31-07-2017