- Title: SOCCER-SPAIN/MESSI-FILE Messi faces tax fraud trial
- Date: 11th June 2015
- Summary: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (FILE - JULY 12, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MESSI TRAINING WITH ARGENTINA
- Embargoed: 26th June 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVAA7L7TS1KBUCS03KPEVT0WZR6A
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Barcelona forward Lionel Messi will face trial for tax fraud after a Spanish court in Barcelona dismissed his latest appeal.
The four-times world player of the year and his father, Jorge Horacio Messi, were accused in 2013 of defrauding the Spanish state over 4m euros (3.1m pounds; $5m) by filing false tax returns between 2006 and 2009.
Spain's public prosecutor argued in June that Messi's father Jorge was responsible for the family's finances and not the Argentina captain.
A court in Barcelona decided, however, Lionel Messi could have known about and approved the creation of a web of shell companies that were allegedly used to evade taxes due on income from image rights.
Messi and his father made a voluntary 5m euros payment, equal to the alleged unpaid tax plus interest, in August 2013. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None