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Diego Costa has reached a pact with the Treasury and confesses author of a tax offense for the taxation of his image rights. The player accepts a six-month prison sentence, which does not imply compliance and can be replaced by a fine, and has just returned to the Treasury the amount of 1,142,888 euros that he evaded during the year 2014. THE WORLD has had exclusive access to the agreement reached by the rojiblanco player, which will be formalized on October 4 before a Madrid court. It will be then when Costa pays the corresponding sanction, which, as reflected in the agreement reached and that already has the approval of the Prosecutor of Economic Crimes and the State Advocacy, will amount to about 600,000 euros .

As this newspaper revealed, the Tax Agency denounced Costa for defrauding taxes during the season in which he left Atlético de Madrid to sign for Chelsea in London. The Spanish Treasury has considered that it did not properly tax the advertising contract that it signed with Adidas for 800,000 euros . As with other players denounced by the Treasury, Costa did not pay the corresponding taxes in Spain after changing his residence.

In the case of the forward, the issue lies in the opinion of the Treasury in which during 2014 he lived six months in Spain and, nevertheless, paid tribute during that year as a tax resident in England. On the other hand, the soccer player has defended before the inspection his condition of British taxpayer during that year.

It is, therefore, a very severe interpretation of the regulations by the Tax Agency, which has closed other similar files by administrative means. Not surprisingly, in the case of Costa it is a mere discussion about his fiscal residence but it is not known that he has used to hide his image rights offshore companies and frontmen.

Initially, the Treasury accused the athletic player of another tax offense, this time in 2013, and raised the fraud committed to 2,306,000 euros. However, the Treasury accepted the allegations presented by its advisors, headed by the lawyer Carlos Sáiz, of Gómez Acebo & Pombo, withdrew one of the crimes against the Public Treasury and halved the defrauded quota. After his initial refusal to reach an agreement with the Treasury, the player has reconsidered his position and has decided to close a pact as they have done the vast majority of players involved in recent years in similar cases. At this point and with the defrauded fee reimbursed to the Treasury through a bank transfer made on August 8, Costa's intention is for Atlético de Madrid to take over this amount.

Salary increase pending

The Brazilian Hispanic claims to the club this gesture to continue linked to the team, since he has been unsuccessfully claiming a salary increase (earns ten million net per year) by being considered unfairly treated compared to players like Antoine Griezmann, who doubled his salary in the team before going to Barça. Costa is still pending the file opened by Atlético de Madrid for his expulsion during the last league match against FC Barcelona, ​​after which he was sanctioned with eight games for his insults to the referee.

The player interpreted the opening of the disciplinary procedure against him as an invitation from the club to leave and became determined to leave the team after handling the information through internal sources of the club that he would be sanctioned with one million euros.

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  • sports
  • Atlético de Madrid
  • Diego Costa
  • Tax crimes
  • Diego Simeone

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