Adriano joined Barcelona in 2010 from Sevilla. The court said he had been charged with defrauding Spain of 189,419.53 euros in 2011 and 456,666.56 euros in 2012 for ceding his image rights through an offshore company in Madeira, Portugal.
Barcelona’s all-time top scorer Lionel Messi was accused in 2013 of defrauding the government of more than 4 million euros from 2006 to 2009. He is due to stand trial on June 7 alongside his father Jorge.
In January, Barca and Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano pleaded guilty to defrauding the state of 1.5 million euros by concealing earnings from image rights. He accepted a one-year prison sentence, but he is not expected to spend any time behind bars as sentences shorter than two years are not usually enforced in Spain.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
(Reporting by Richard Martin; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
