Atletico Madrid ace Diego Costa has reportedly been given a six-month prison sentence in his tax fraud case, but he has reached an agreement to pay a fine instead.
As noted by Football Espana, via El Mundo, the 31-year-old pleaded guilty to defrauding the Spanish state of €1.1m in relation to not declaring payments of over €5.15m linked to his move to Chelsea in 2014.
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However, he will not have to see out the prison sentence, as it’s added he has reached an agreement to pay a fine totalling €36,000 instead while it’s noted that he has already reimbursed the Treasury a few months ago.
That said, ESPN note that he will pay a fine of €543,208 on top of what he has already paid, and that smaller fee is customary in Spain for jail terms of under two years.
That in turn looks to have concluded the matter, while as seen in the video below, he certainly looked relaxed and happy as he left court on Thursday.
There has been no official word on the matter, but it has been widely reported across the major outlets in Spain that Costa may now have resolved the issue.
Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa left court after making a brief appearance on Thursday as he prepares to face a tax fraud trial! pic.twitter.com/RXDANuGaqj
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) June 4, 2020