Mou avoids jail, but hit by fine for tax fraud

Madrid — Ex-Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has avoided jail for tax fraud as part of a deal with Spanish prosecutors revealed yesterday, but will pay a fine of close to €2 million.

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The 56-year-old is accused of committing tax fraud in 2011 and 2012 when he coached Spanish giants Real Madrid.

According to the agreement seen by AFP, Mourinho accepted a one-year jail sentence immediately commuted to a fine of €182 500.

The Portuguese coach will also have to pay an additional penalty of €1.98 million.

Mourinho, sacked by Manchester United in December following a string of disappointing performances, is the latest high-profile football figure to be judged over his tax affairs in Spain.

Spanish prosecutors accuse Mourinho, who coached Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013, of failing to declare income of €1.6 million in 2011 and €1.7 million in 2012.

The grounds for the case, as with a series of football stars based in Spain, is how income from Mourinho’s image rights was managed and declared.

Prosecutors believe by ceding his image rights to a series of companies based in tax havens, Mourinho committed fraud by not declaring the income those companies made from his image rights.

— AFP.