Messi could go to jail for tax fraud

Risingbd Desk: Argentina and Barcelona footballer Lionel Messi is facing up to 22 months in jail if he is found guilty of defrauding the Spanish tax authorities.

Messi and his father should stand trial on tax fraud charges, a court in Spain has ruled.

The judge in charge of the case rejected the request by prosecutors to drop the charges against the striker.

Messi and his father were accused of defrauding the Spanish authorities of nearly £3.5m between 2007 and 2009.

Lawyers acting on behalf of the tax authorities demanded 22-month jail sentences for both defendants.

Prosecutors allege that Jorge avoided paying tax on his son`s earnings by using offshore companies in Belize and Uruguay in 2007-09.

Messi`s lawyers had argued that the player had "never devoted a minute of his life to reading, studying or analysing" the contracts, El Pais newspaper reported earlier.

Source: Agencies

risingbd/Oct 8, 2015/Augustin Sujan