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15:06, 01-Aug-2017
Cristiano Ronaldo denies tax fraud at court hearing
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Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo denied tax evasion charges in a pre-trial hearing on Monday.
The Real Madrid player is accused of failing to pay more than 17 million dollars in taxes in Spain..
The hearing would establish whether the case should continue. Despite the charges, there hundreds of Ronaldo fans on hand to lend support.
Ronaldo dismissed claims of any wrongdoing, and said he has never hidden any income.
A judge will decide whether or not the case should proceed to trial.
Ronaldo is not the only footballer who is pursued by Spanish tax authorities. Barcelona’s Argentinian forward Lionel Messi was handed a 21-month suspended prison sentence after being found guilty of the same charge in 2016.