Mourinho stands before Madrid court for alleged tax evasion

Madrid, Nov 3 (IANS)  Manchester United coach Jose Mourinho on Friday appeared before a Madrid court over allegations of tax evasion of $3.8 million in 2011 and 2012 during his time as the coach of Real Madrid.

Mourinho arrived alone at the court and after the hearing said that when he had left Spain in 2013 he had been certain that his tax situation was legal, reports Efe.

"A couple of years later I was informed that an investigation had been opened and I was told that in order to regularise my situation I had to pay X amount of money," he stated.

"I did not answer, I did not argue. I paid and signed with the state that I am in compliance and the case is closed," he continued.

During his appearing before Madrid's Pozuelo de Alarcon court, Mourinho responded only to his attorney's questions, officials told Efe.

The judge decided to call Mourinho after the financial crimes section of the Madrid prosecutor's office accused him of defrauding $3.8 million from his personality rights.

Personality rights are a person's right to have control over the marketing and commercial use of their image, likeness or other parts of their identity.

Mourinho signed a work contract with Real Madrid on March 31, 2010 and moved his residence to Madrid, thus acquiring a tax status as a fiscal resident in Spain.

However, according to documents held in the Madrid branch of the public prosecutor's office, between 2011 and 2012 Mourinho filed tax returns in a timely manner but allegedly without declaring revenues derived from personality rights.