OSLO: Former Premier League and Norway striker John Carew was Wednesday sentenced to 14 months in prison for tax evasion and ordered to pay a fine by Oslo’s district court.
The 43-year-old was found guilty of failing to report taxable income of 12.8 million kroner ($1.29 million) and assets of 307 million kroner ($31 million) during 2014-2019.
In addition to the jail sentence, he was ordered to pay a fine of 540,000 kroner ($54,370).
Carew, who played for Aston Villa, Valencia and Lyon among other European clubs, had pleaded guilty to the charges.
He had told Norwegian tax authorities that he was living in Britain during the period in question and was therefore not required to pay tax in the Scandinavian country.
But during the trial prosecutors provided evidence, including credit card slips, that showed he was in Norway more than 183 days a year during that period, which technically made him a resident of Norway and therefore subject to pay tax.
He told the court that he had simply been following the advice of his former agent.
“The court has concluded that he acted with gross negligence, but not with intent,” his lawyer Berit Reiss-Andersen said in a statement.
“We have argued this all along, and Carew has made it clear that he wanted to set things straight.”
She added she and Carew would read through the court’s ruling in detail before deciding whether to appeal.
