Former Aston Villa player John Carew was sentenced on Wednesday to 14 months in prison for serious tax fraud in Norway, the Oslo court announced.
Found guilty, the former striker failed to declare to the supervisory body of his country about 12.8 million Norwegian crowns (R $ 6.8 million) in income between 2014 and 2019, in addition to a personal fortune of 300 million crowns (BRL 160 million), being a tax resident in Norway.
During this period, Carew had notified the authorities that he resided in the United Kingdom and that, therefore, there was no need to pay taxes in his home country. With passages through LyonAston Villa, Besiktas and West Ham, the Norwegian also received a fine of 540 thousand crowns (R$ 2.8 million).
Asked by AFPthe Oslo court specified that how Carew will pay his sentence remains to be decided, and the defendant can appeal the conviction.
Throughout the trial, prosecutors proved that the former striker of the Norwegian national team remained in the country for 183 days during this period of time, which configures him as a resident subject to payment of taxes in that region.
Carew told the court that he was only following the advice of his former agent. The court concluded that he acted with gross negligence, but not intentionally. “We’ve always said that,” his lawyer Berit Reiss-Andersen said in a statement, adding that the defendant “wanted to make amends” and that she and her client would read the decision in detail before any potential appeals were filed.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
