The euphoria of the holidays will be cut short for Croatia’s best footballer.
On November 29, 2017, the State Attorney’s Office accused the 32-year-old Real Madrid midfielder and his wife of deliberately avoiding tax payments in Spain, reports 24Sata on December 30, 2017.
The captain of the Croatian national football team Luka Modrić and his wife Vanja have been called to a court near Madrid on January 9, 2018, where the examining judge will hear the Croatian couple. Luka and his wife have been accused by the Spanish state prosecution of cheating the tax administration for EUR 870,728.00.
The couple must appear in person at court in Alcobendas, 15 kilometers from Madrid, because Modrić’s house and address are registered in the urban settlement that belongs under the administration of Alcobendas. Luka and Vanja will be heard by Judge Gonzalo Salgado.
On November 29, 2017, the State Attorney’s Office accused the 32-year-old Real Madrid midfielder and his wife of deliberately avoiding tax payments in Spain. The two established a company ‘Ivano S.A.R.L’ where Modrić transferred the right to the money he received from sponsorship contracts, including earnings from sports equipment manufacturer ‘Nike’. The manager of the company, which was founded in 2012, is Vanja Modrić, while Luka Modrić is the owner. The two named the company after their son.
The Spanish Tax Administration opened an investigation in January 2016 after Modrić did not report revenue from sponsorship contracts in 2013 and 2014. The State Attorney’s Office claims that Modrić and his wife, who live just outside of Madrid, have to pay all taxes in Spain where the Croatian football player has a contract with Real Madrid. The prosecution states that the sole purpose of establishing the company in Luxembourg, where taxes were drastically lower, and transferring the right, was to avoid paying taxes in Spain.
Luka and Vanja Modrić will have to file an indictment in court before the judge who examined Marcelo Vieira, the 29-year-old Real Madrid left-back, on November 28, 2017. Marcelo admitted that he did not pay EUR 490,917.00 to the tax administration in 2013 and pledged to pay that amount together with interest. Additionally, Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo has been charged with evading EUR 14.7 million in taxes and claims he is innocent. The proceedings are continuing.
Translated from 24Sata
