Madrid (AFP)
The Spanish public prosecutor's office announced Monday that it had started proceedings against the former Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, accused of having concealed from the tax authorities part of his income, notably from image rights, for a total of around one million euros.
"The prosecution is filing a complaint against Carlo Ancelotti for a tax fraud of one million euros," he said in a statement.
The complaint relates to "two possible crimes against the Treasury relating to income tax for the fiscal years 2014 and 2015", during which the Italian coach would not have declared "a total of 1.062 million euros" , specifies the press release.
A judge must then agree to take up the case and possibly summon the former coach.
Mr. Ancelotti, an Italian national, coached the famous Madrid football club from June 2013 to May 2015. He also led, in particular, AC Milan, Chelsea, PSG and Bayern Munich. He currently occupies the bench of Everton.
According to the prosecution, he would have declared his wages received from Real Madrid in 2014 and 2015 but not "the income corresponding to the exploitation of his image rights, as well as those derived from his relationship with the sports club Madrid or those perceived as a consequence of contracts with other brands ".
According to the prosecutor, Mr. Ancelotti did so "with the intention of unjustifiably evading his obligations towards the Treasury".
The trainer is accused of having relied on a "complex network of shell companies" in order to hide the identity of the real beneficiary of this income from the Spanish tax authorities.
In recent years, the Spanish tax authorities have targeted many stars of the football, including Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, both condemned to pay heavy fines for tax evasion.
© 2020 AFP