Spain's Central Operative Unit (UCO), which focuses on "money laundering and organised crime," is reportedly investigating where the millions of dollars that Lionel Messi and his foundation raised with charity events "have gone," according to Jerin Mathew of the INT'L BUSINESS TIMES. Messi's "charity games" in '13 were suspected to have been "conducted for the benefit of players, agents" and even Messi himself. Investigators reportedly found "several inconsistencies as they interrogated witnesses." In addition, they "presented money transfer forms showing that over a million dollars generated by two Friends of Messi games in Colombia were wired to a bank account in the Caribbean." Messi and friends played six benefit football matches in the U.S. and South America for his foundation that "supports causes including providing aid for Syrian refugee children and Argentine kids who suffer from incurable diseases." Sporting events promoter and a "good friend of Messi's father Jorge," Guillermo Marín, was questioned by UCO investigators in June. He said the six games generated revenues of just less than $7.9M, and a total of $300,000 went to Messi's foundation. Marín did not "answer the investigators' question about what happened to the rest of the money" (IB TIMES, 3/6). In Hamburg, Buschmann & Wulzinger reported Messi was questioned as a witness at the end of '13 by the
Guardia Civil in Barcelona. The footballer stated that the proceeds from
the six games had been "donated to his foundation and to charitable
causes." He said he had not received "any money." His fellow teammates José
Manuel Pinto, Javier Mascherano and Dani Alves of Barcelona, all of
whom took part in the charity games, "also denied receiving payment." They
said they had rejected payment owing to their friendship with Messi and
that the "only expenses for which they were reimbursed were the costs of
their flights and hotels." Spiegel has obtained documents from South America that "shed serious
doubt on this portrayal of events." They "originate from Imagen Deportiva,"
a company based in Buenos Aires that is owned by Marín. UCO is "investigating on suspicion of fraud, money laundering and tax evasion" (DER SPIEGEL, 3/5).
DEA REPORTEDLY INVESTIGATING: In Madrid, Alsedo & Herráiz reported the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration "suspects that organizers of Messi's friendlies," who also managed a tour by Mexican singer Vicente Fernández, had contact with Mexican drug cartel Los Valencia. The cartel is "believed to have contacted the Colombian organizers of these events." There "is suspicion that Los Valencia money was laundered, of which the players knew nothing, but with the organizers believed to have collaborated." The organizers of the games "are believed to have used a system called 'fila 0,' which consists of paying for tickets to the games but not attending, with the intention of the money going directly to the cause of the matches" (EL MUNDO, 3/6).
