Gerard Piqué given €2.1 million fine for unpaid tax
The Barça footballer failed in his appeal of the 2016 ruling
Spain’s National Court has confirmed fine of €2.1 million to FC Barcelona player Gerard Piqué for taxes not paid to the Treasury in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
Piqué’s appeal of the decision was rejected, meaning he is now obliged to pay a regularized sum of his income for the three years listed.
The court overlooking the case emphasized that the player’s revenues were declared in the United Kingdom, "so the plaintiff knew his obligation to declare [revenue] also in Spain."
In addition, the judge found a "plot" that the sportsman simulated ceding his image rights to his company, Kerad Project, in 2006, to pay less to the tax office.
Piqué now has the option to appeal this new judicial decision to the Supreme Court.
Earlier this year, Piqué's wife, pop star Shakira, appeared in court in Barcelona over tax fraud charges amounting to €14.5 million.
Prosecutors accuse the Colombian singer of avoiding paying the tax between 2012 and 2014 when she was living in Catalonia.