Lionel Messi and his dad in court over £3.4m tax fraud
Authorities claim the pair used secret companies based in Belize and Uruguay to sell the rights to the striker’s image, saving millions of pounds
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Football legend Lionel Messi appeared in court today charged with a massive £3.4m tax fraud.
The Barcelona star – who has won the World Player of the Year award on four occasions – is accused alongside his dad Jorge.
The Spanish authorities claim the pair used secret companies based in Belize and Uruguay to sell the rights to the striker’s image saving millions of pounds.
The 26-year-old Argentine international and his dad both deny the charges which date back to the period between 2007 and 2009.
Wearing a suit and an open-necked shirt, Messi arrived at the courtroom in the posh Barcelona suburb of Gava and gave a “thumbs up” sign to waiting fans.They were questioned in a closed-court session and face three separate counts of defrauding the Spanish state of taxes.
The income related to Messi’s image rights included contracts with Adidas, Pepsi-Cola, Proctor and Gamble, Danone and the Kuwait Food Company.
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In August, Jorge Messi made a payment of £4.2million to the tax authorities..
But state prosecutors are still pursuing the case – with the Spanish taxman taking a much tougher line as a result of the country’s economic problems.
Earlier, Messi insisted he was innocent of all charges.
He said he had “never committed any infringement.
"We have always fulfilled all our tax obligations following the advice of our tax consultants who will take care of clarifying this situation.”
Messi’s salary from Barcelona is in the region of £13m a year, making him one of the world’s most highly-paid sports stars.
He has also signed a string of multi-million-pound sponsorship deals.
His achievements on the field have made him one of the most marketable in the business.
But the allegations are a serious blow to the prestige of the player, who has long been seen as a more humble figure than most top-class footballers.
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