Lionel Messi & His Dad May Face Tax Fraud Trial As Appeal Fails

The Argentina forward and his father, Jorge, are both accused of defrauding Spanish authorities to the tune of £3.1million between 2007 and 2009.  The 27-year-old claimed to have not known what was happening with his finances.

But today the Spanish high court rejected his appeal and said he should not be granted impunity for not knowing what was happening with his finances.

The Messis are alleged to have withheld money related to Messi's image rights, including contracts with Danone, Adidas, Pepsi-Cola and Procter & Gamble.

They are accused of avoiding Spanish tax by using companies in Belize and Uruguay to sell the rights to use Messi's image.

The high court in Barcelona said today that a decision over whether or not the accused was aware of the fraud scheme should be left for the court hearing.

The Messis made a voluntary payment of £3.64million to the Spanish inland revenue in 2013 to pay for the missing tax plus interest. However, the authorities are still pushing forward with the prosecution.

Messi, who signed terms with Barcelona when he was 13, has won the Champions League and been World Player of the Year four times. He is considered by some to be one of the greatest players in the history of the game.

UK Express