MADRID (AP) — Croatia midfielder Luka Modric has appeared in court in a tax fraud case in Madrid.
In this photo taken on Dec. 23, 2017, Real Madrid’s Luka Modric sits on the pitch after falling during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain. Croatia midfielder Luka Modric has appeared in court in a tax fraud case in Madrid on Tuesday Jan. 9, 2018, accused of defrauding tax authorities of 870,728 euros (about 1 million dollars) in 2013 and 2014. Local newspaper El Mundo said Modric has already paid nearly 1 million (1.2 million dollars) to tax authorities to try to reach a settlement. (AP Photo/Paul White)
Officials said Tuesday Modric was in court for about 10 minutes along with his wife and lawyer. The player’s wife, Vadja, is also being accused of tax irregularities.
Spanish prosecutors have accused the Real Madrid midfielder of defrauding tax authorities of 870,728 euros (about $1 million) in 2013 and 2014.
Local newspaper El Mundo says Modric has already paid nearly 1 million ($1.2 million) to tax authorities to try to reach a settlement even though the player has denied any wrongdoing.
Court and tax officials say they cannot confirm or deny the payment. Details of Modric’s court appearance have not been released.
Modric has been playing for Madrid since being signed from Tottenham in 2012.
Several other players have been targeted by Spanish tax authorities recently, including Lionel Messi who two years ago was found guilty — along with his father — for defrauding 4.1 million euros ($4.9 million) from income made from image rights.
Other players investigated include: Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcelo, Ricardo Carvalho, Angel Di Maria, Javier Mascherano, Radamel Falcao and Fabio Coentrao.
Former Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho, currently at Manchester United, is also being investigated.
© Copyright 2018 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
