Lionel Messi receives 21-month prison sentence over tax fraud

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• published: 06 Jul 2016
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Lionel Messi receives 21-month prison sentence over tax fraud Under Spanish law any sentence under two years can be suspended meaning the Barcelona and Argentina footballer is expected to avoid serving time in prison Barcelona star Lionel Messi and his father have both been given a 21-month prison sentence for tax fraud, according to Spanish publication El Periodico. However, the pair are not expected to serve any time in jail due to Spanish laws regarding non-violent crimes, where prison sentences under two years do not require any incarceration. The five-time Ballon d'Or and his father appeared in court on 2 June having being accused of avoiding €4.1m (£3.5m, $4.5m) in tax on the Barcelona's star's earnings by using off-shore companies located in Belize and Uruguay between 2007 and 2009. They already paid the Spanish authorities a voluntary corrective payment of around €5m after being formally charged in 2013, but state lawyers decided to continue the case by requesting a prison sentence. Messi himself has denied, in court, any knowledge of the attempts to avoid paying taxing, claiming that he signed documents without reading as he trusted his father and the lawyers responsible for managing his finances. His father also denied any wrongdoing, adding: "I understand these laws as much as I understand Chinese. I didn't have any knowledge of the laws and simply said 'yes' or 'no' to the proposals presented to me. My intention was to make life easier for my son, to accompany him and to allow him to focus on football. Eventually, we needed legal and accounting help." But authorities in Barcelona have decided to hand the Argentine and his father a 21-month prison sentence. Messi's teammate, Javier Mascherano, also received a one-year prison sentence for a similar tax case last year. However, as with Messi, the former Liverpool star served no jail time due to Spanish statutes on non-violent crimes. ionel Messi has been sentenced to 21 months in jail for tax fraud by a Spanish court. Under Spanish law any sentence under two years can be suspended meaning the Barcelona and Argentina footballer is expected to avoid serving time in prison. The 29-year-old, among the world’s highest-earning athletes, was accused of creating a string of fake companies in Belize and Uruguay to avoid taxation on €4.16m (£3.2m) of image rights earnings between 2007 and 2009. Messi, who took time out from Argentina’s preparations for the Copa America tournament this summer, said in court last month: “I was playing football; I had no idea about anything. I trusted my dad and my lawyers.” The Argentinian’s father Jorge Horacio Messi has also been handed the same punishment. During the trail, Messi said he never suspected any wrongdoing when his father would ask him to sign contracts or documents relating to his image rights, a lucrative source of income for any athlete of his calibre. Witness Eva Blazquez, responsible for handling the four-time Champions League winner’s tax declarations, said: “Leo didn't see them. The final supervision was done by the client, in this case, Jorge Messi.” Messi's father reiterated last month that his son didn't know the details of his contracts. “I didn't think it was necessary to inform him of everything,” he said. Barcelona soccer star Lionel Messi has been sentenced to 21 months in prison after a court in Barcelona found him guilty of three counts of tax fraud, a statement from the court said on Wednesday. The court also sentenced the Argentine soccer player's father, Jorge, to 21 months in prison for the same three crimes. The sentence can be appealed through the Spanish supreme court, the statement said. However, under Spanish law a prison sentence under two years can be served under probation, meaning Messi and his father are unlikely to go to jail. They already paid the Spanish authorities a voluntary corrective payment of around €5m after being formally charged in 2013, but state lawyers decided to continue the case by requesting a prison sentence. Messi himself has denied, in court, any knowledge of the attempts to avoid paying taxing, claiming that he signed documents without reading as he trusted his father and the lawyers responsible for managing his finances. His father also denied any wrongdoing, adding: "I understand these laws as much as I understand Chinese. I didn't have any knowledge of the laws and simply said 'yes' or 'no' to the proposals presented to me. My intention was to make life easier for my son, to accompany him and to allow him to focus on football. Eventually, we needed legal and accounting help." But authorities in Barcelona have decided to hand the Argentine and his father a 21-month prison sentence. Messi's teammate, Javier Mascherano, also received a one-year priso jail time due to Spanish statutes on non-violent crimes.