Cristiano not planning to pay alleged debt before testifying
Sources at Gestifute have told EFE the Real Madrid man won't be paying up 14.8m euros he is accused of owing ahead of his court appearance.Real Madrid-Villarreal: LaLiga matchday 19
Cristiano Ronaldo has no intention of paying his alleged tax debt in advance of his court appearance at the end of next month, his advisers have confirmed.
The Real Madrid forward has been summoned to a Madrid court on 31 July after being accused of evading 14.8 million euros in taxes on image rights income.
Gestifute sources: Cristiano not going to pay up
Speaking to EFE on Thursday, sources at Gestifute, the company that represents Cristiano, moved to rebuff speculation that the player was set to hand over the money he allegedly owes before testifying.
In the wake of the accusations against him, the 32-year-old Portuguese has hired the services of the legal firm Baker & McKenzie to lead his defence.
Thought to be reconsidering reported decision to leave Spain
Prosecutors claim the ex-Manchester United man committed four counts of tax evasion between 2011 and 2014, defrauding Spain's tax office of 14,768,897 euros.
Cristiano has offered no official public statement on the issue, except to tell TV reporters he has a "clear conscience" as he left Portugal training a week ago.
It was reported on Friday that an "angry" Cristiano has decided to leave Spain over the allegations, although Diario AS understands that he is now reconsidering his stance following Real president Florentino Pérez's defence of the footballer in a radio interview on Monday evening.
