Messi to face Prosecution for Tax Fraud
Opeyemi Oladunjoye
A Spanish court declared that Barcelona forward, Lionel Messi must be prosecuted for alleged tax evasion alongside his father despite a recommendation from the public prosecutor that charges against the football star be dismissed.
The prosecutor had stated in June that Messi’s father, Jorge was responsible for the family’s finances and not the four-times World Player of the Year.
However, the court in Barcelona has decided that Lionel Messi could have known about and approved the creation of other companies that were allegedly used to evade taxes due on income from image rights.
The Argentines were accused last year of defrauding the Spanish state of more than €4m (£3.1m) by filing false returns for the years 2006 to 2009. They have denied wrongdoing.
Messi is One of the world’s highest-paid athletes, earning over $40m (£23.5m) a season in salary and bonuses, according to Forbes magazine, as well as about $23m from sponsors.
