Sanchez Handed Suspended Sentence For Tax Fraud
Manchester United striker Alexis Sanchez has struck a deal with Spanish authorities to accept a 16-month suspended jail sentence for tax fraud in return for avoiding a trial. Sanchez, who joined United from Arsenal last month, faced being tried over a Sh125mn (one-million-euro) fraud linked to image rights in 2012 and 2013 during his time at Spanish giants Barcelona, according to details of the deal seen by AFP. Prosecutors said the 29-year-old Chilean forward had failed to declare any proceeds from the exploitation of his image rights in 2012 and 2013 and had also failed to declare that he was the owner of a company set up in Malta, Numidia Trading Limited, which owned the rights. Appearing by video link from London, Sanchez admitted he had “made an incorrect tax payment” and that he had settled the issue with tax authorities. He was sentenced to two eight-month suspended jail sentences to run consecutively, although prosecutors have called for the sentence to be lifted after two ...