?Ricardo Carvalho has been handed a suspended prison sentence relating to tax fraud that the Chelsea legend committed during his days at Real Madrid.
The centre-back, who now plays football with Shanghai SIPG, was handed a seven-month jail term and ordered to pay a €142,822 fine by Madrid’s magistrate court.
However, Spanish criminal law does not expect individuals handed a sentence under two years to actually spend time in prison so Carvalho will not have to go to jail.
According to reports, Carvalho had dodged tax returns totalling €545,981 across the years 2011 and 2012, which fell during his three-year spell with Los Blancos under current Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho.
The Spanish prosecution offence had ordered that Carvalho should face a year in prison and pay €300,000 in fines for his own case but, after being found guilty of his offences, the judiciary opted to cut short his suspended sentence and reduce his fine.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings