Lionel Messi Asks Barcelona Court To Absolve Him Of Tax Fraud Charges

Barcelona's Lionel Messi "has asked to be absolved of three counts of fraud," arguing that he and his father were "advised by a prestigious law firm that specializes in sports and tax law," according to Jesús García of EL PAÍS. A letter from Messi's legal defense was presented Tuesday to a Barcelona court and was accessed by El País. Messi will have to face charges of defrauding Spanish tax authorities of €4.1M ($4.5M) related to image rights. The Spanish government entity defending the interests of the country's tax authorities maintains the accusation against both the player and his father. The District Attorney's Office, though, is only accusing Messi's father, as it considers that Lionel Messi "should be exonerated because he was dedicated only to playing football and did not understand economic management." In a separate case, on Monday a Spanish court dropped a tax fraud investigation linked to friendlies organized by the player and his foundation (EL PAÍS, 12/15).