Agent Mendes in tax probe

Portuguese tax inspectors were examining the accounts of football super agent Jorge Mendes yesterday, his company said, two weeks after he was charged in Spain with tax fraud.

The 51-year-old Mendes represents Cristiano Ronaldo, Jose Mourinho, Radamel Falcao and a host of other top earning stars, many of whom are being investigated in Spain over allegations they hid earnings from image rights in off-shore accounts.

The investigation in Portugal concerns the past three years and is focusing on whether Mendes had created shell companies for his clients, a charge which he recently denied in a Spanish court investigating alleged tax evasion by Falcao.

Spanish prosecutors have accused Ronaldo of a 14.6-million-euro (S$23m) tax fraud and he is due to testify in court on July 31.

Portuguese defender Fabio Coentrao, accused of evading nearly 1.3m euros, made a settlement with the Spanish taxman last week. - AFP