Messi and his father are being investigated for avoiding paying more than 4m euros (£3.4m) in tax.
The 25-year-old Barcelona forward and his father Jorge Horacio allegedly have returned fraudulent tax returns between 2007-2009. The complaint was filed at the courthouse in Gava – the Barcelona district where Messi lives.
Messi and his father are accused of three crimes from the use of Messi’s image and are suspected to use companies abroad to sell those rights. The accusation is that by using companies abroad, Messi and his father avoided paying over 4m euros in Spanish taxes. If convicted, Messi could face up to six years in prison and a large fine, according to Spain’s EFE news agency.
Messi reacted surprised about the accusations and wrote on his facebook page: “We have never committed any infringement. We have always fulfilled all our tax obligations, following the advices of our tax consultants who will take care of clarifying this situation.”
Messi is the one of the world’s highest-paid athletes with an estimated income of 16m euros per year and many multimillion-dollar endorsements. Forbes even estimates his total earnings at an annual net income at more than 31m euros.
Barcelona FC have not commented on the allegations. Messi still hasn’t been charged and it could be a while until the final verdict will be spoken since the legal system in Spain is slow moving. In the meantime, Messi’s image could be damaged!
