A Barcelona judge "has turned down" Lionel Messi's appeal "for charges of tax evasion against him to be dropped," according to MARCA.
The judge believed that the player "could have been aware of the actions of his father, Jorge Horacio Messi, who is his agent and is responsible for all of his finances."
According to the judge, in order to charge the player, "it is sufficient that there are indications that Lionel Messi was aware of and consented to the fraudulent behaviour." He also referred to the statement of an expert who assured that in terms of his finances, Messi "signs what they put in front of him." The statement read, "He doesn't have the time or the energy. He devotes himself to football and that's all," pointing out that this was a "subjective opinion." The player and his family "were surprised by the court's decision and the Argentinean footballer's lawyer, Cristobal Martell, is already preparing a new appeal which will be lodged in the coming days" (MARCA, 10/3). REUTERS' Iain Rogers reported Messi and his father "have been accused of defrauding the Spanish state" of more than $5M. They "have denied wrongdoing" (REUTERS, 10/3).
IMAGE RIGHTS: The BBC reported it is alleged that "they withheld the money" between '07-09.
The income "related to Messi's image rights," including contracts with Banco Sabadell, Danone, adidas, Pepsi-Cola, Procter & Gamble, and the Kuwait Food Company. The footballer and his father "are suspected of avoiding paying Spanish tax by using companies in Belize and Uruguay to sell the rights to use Messi's image." The judge ruled, "In this type of crime, it is not necessary for someone to have complete knowledge of all the accounting and business operations nor the exact quantity, rather it is sufficient to be aware of the designs to commit fraud and consent to them" (BBC, 10/3). FORBES' Robert W. Wood reported there are "multiple appeals still possible, and the fact that there’s no question of money to pay the taxes could help." The senior Messi "already paid five million euros to cover unpaid taxes and interest." That could "reduce any sentence should they be found guilty, which is still hardly a certainty." A key element in Messi’s case "seems to be the clandestine nature of the tiered arrangement." The deal "was structured to keep his name hidden." All indications are that Messi and his father "have tried to settle their tax case and to pay the money and move on." But the message coming from Spanish authorities "has been a stern one" (FORBES, 10/3).
