According to Net Nieuwsblad, the prosecutor in Kontrijk will take Tom Boonen, Stijn Devolder and Etixx-QuickStep team manager Patrick Lefevere to court. They are accused for substantial tax evasion. The investigation has been ongoing for some time but now the next step will be taken.

For more than a year, the public prosecutor in Kortrijk has conducted an investigation into the QuickStep team. Tom Boonen, former Quick Step rider Stijn Devolder, manager Patrick Lefevere and six other people and two companies have been in the spotlight. Yesterday the prosecutor finished his final charge.

"It is a complex fraud scheme that was set up with the intention to hide revenue for both foreign and domestic riders from the tax authorities," Tom Janssens of the prosecutor's office told Sporza.

The prosecutor will take Boonen and co. to court and this could lead to heavy fines and even prison.  But there is also another solution: that of an amicable settlement.

"The most common way is that they appear before the criminal court. However, it is possible that they reach an agreement with the tax authorities and with the prosecutor to avoid that," said Janssens.

Some of the people on the list, including Boonen in 2012, have already reached an amicable settlement with the tax authorities. The team leader was accused of living in Belgium even though he was officially registered as a Monaco resident (where foreigners do not pay taxes)

However, a settlement with the tax authorities is not enough to avoid court. A settlement with the prosecutor is also needed.