Atletico Madrid forward Diego Costa has been given a six-month jail sentence for tax fraud but he will not serve jail time under Spanish law. This is because he is paying a €543,208 fine.
His jail sentence was replaced with an additional fine, as it is customary in Spain for jail terms of less than two years.
On Thursday morning, Costa pleaded guilty in a Madrid court to the charge of evading €1.1 million in taxes on his image rights. Costa paid the huge amount in full last year, and will also pay the €543,208 penalty.
“Diego Costa reached an agreement with the prosecutor a few months ago and has already paid the relevant fine plus interest, and the request for a jail sentence was withdrawn,” an Atletico spokesman told Reuters on Wednesday. “An agreement is expected to be ratified at court this week, as is mandatory.”
