Ronaldo to be prosecuted by Spanish authorities for 14.7 million euros tax fraud

Madrid: The Spanish prosecutor's office in Madrid said on Tuesday that it had filed a lawsuit against soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo for allegedly defrauding Spanish authorities of 14.7 million euros between 2011 and 2014.

In a statement, the prosecutor's office said Ronaldo had knowingly used a "business structure" created in 2010 to hide his income in Spain from his image rights.

The lawsuit is based on a report sent to the prosecutor's office from Spain's tax agency AEAT, it said.

Ronaldo has had one of his best seasons with Real Madrid, winning the Champions League and La Liga double. Los Blancos became the first team to win the Champions League in back-to-back seasons, after defeating Juventus in the final, earlier this month.

The Portugal star had also led his country to its first ever UEFA Euros triumph in France last year, propelling him to greater heights in the world of cootball.

Earlier this year, Lionel Messi’s appeal against a 21-month sentence was rejected by the Spanish Supreme court, after the FC Barcelona star was found guilty of defrauding the government of 4.1 million euros.