Diego Costa pleads guilty to tax fraud

The player of Atlético de Madrid Diego Costa pleaded guilty to a crime of tax fraud valued at more than one million euros during his statement this Friday at court, according to several legal sources.

This Friday the striker of the mattress club appeared in the Court of Instruction number 48 of Plaza de Castilla and, according to the sources consulted, “he has recognized the facts.”

Now, it will be necessary to specify the penalty that will be imposed and the amount of the fine to be paid. The newspaper El Mundo advanced that Costa accepts with this confession a penalty of six months in prison that does not imply admission to be replaced by the payment of a penalty of 600,000 euros, having already reinstated an amount exceeding one million euros.

In June, the Economic Crimes section of the Prosecutor’s Office of Madrid filed a complaint against the soccer player for a tax fraud in the Income Tax on Individuals during 2014 and amounting to 1,014,416.76 euros.

In his letter sent to the judge, the player is accused of having obtained directly or through third parties income for the transfer of his image rights worth 1,371,098.31 euros and that “with the aim of obtaining a illegal benefit. Prosecutor “presented the IRPF settlement in due time without declaring the amount from the money that Chelsea had paid him, the English club for which he signed that same year.”

In the report sent to the Prosecutor’s Office by the State Agency of Tax Administration (AEAT) it follows that on August 5, 2013, the player signed a federation contract for professional player work with Atlético de Madrid effective until June 30 of 2018 and but despite this on June 13, 2014, he formalized a “balance and settlement” document because he was about to be transferred to the Chelsea.

K. Tovar

Source: Marca