Lionel Messi & His Dad Sentenced To 21 Months Imprisonment Over Tax Fraud

Barcelona football star Lionel Messi has been
sentenced to 21 months in prison after a
court in Barcelona found him guilty of three
charge counts of tax fraud.


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 court 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.
The footballer and his father Jorge stood
accused of defrauding Spanish tax authorities
of more than €4 million by using offshore
companies in Belive and Uruguay to hide
earnings.

Prosecutors had sought a 22-month sentence
for both. The footballer's lawyers had
argued throughout the case that he had
nothing to do with his tax affairs and knew
nothing of them.


The court ordered Messi to pay a fine of around €2 million and his father to pay
€1.5 million euros.