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Russia coach Guus Hiddink has been handed a six-month suspended sentence and fined £30,000 after being found guilty of tax fraud by a Dutch court. Prosecutors had demanded a 10-month prison sentence for Hiddink, who was accused of evading almost £940,000 in Dutch taxes by claiming to be a resident of Belgium from 2002 to 2003. However, judges at a court in Den Bosch said there were mitigating factors, including the damage already done to Hiddink's reputation by negative publicity surrounding the case. And Hiddink's lawyers added that their client had been given bad advice by his financial adviser, who was alleged to have told him that claiming a tax home in Belgium was legitimate. "The court reached the conclusion that Hiddink deliberately submitted an incomplete and incorrect tax declaration over 2003," it said in a statement. |
Last modified: February 23, 2008
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