Former Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o has been charged with conspiracy to avoid paying 3.5 million euros in taxes on money he earned while playing for the Catalan club, Reuters reported on Thursday.

Spanish prosecutors filed the charges against the Cameroon-born player on June 15. They are asking the judge to open the case before the statute of limitations runs out.

Eto'o, who now plays for Anzhi Makhachkala, a Russian Premier League club, created two companies, in Spain and in Hungary, and used them to channel money he earned from Barça and sponsorships on behalf of Puma, prosecutors alleged, saying that he used the Spanish company to deduct personal payments.