Arsenal forward Alexis Sánchez "has been accused of defrauding the Spanish tax authorities" of almost €1M for "concealing part of what he earned from image rights" during his time as a Barcelona player, Catalan newspaper El Periodico reported, according to Adriana Garcia of ESPN.com. It was reported that the public prosecutor's office "has filed a complaint" against Sánchez, who "is suspected of having filed fraudulent tax returns" in '12 and '13 to avoid paying €983,443. Sánchez, who joined Arsenal in the summer of '14 after three seasons at Barcelona, "is alleged to have sought to conceal earnings from his image rights by using companies set up in Chile and in Malta." He allegedly defrauded the authorities of €587,677 in '12 and €395,766 in '13. If confirmed, the 29-year-old would be "the fifth player to have been on the books of Barcelona to have had problems with taxes in the Spanish courts" (ESPN.com, 11/1). In London, Jack de Menezes reported Sánchez "is the latest past or present Barcelona player to be accused of tax evasion." It is alleged by prosecutor Miguel Angel Perez de Gregorio that Sánchez "did not include the income from the transfer of his image rights" in both '12 and '13 while in Barcelona, and he is also accused of “simulating the transfer of those rights” to an offshore company, based in Malta, called Numidia Trading (INDEPENDENT, 11/2). In Barcelona, J.G. Albalat reported other Barcelona players who have "had problems with the Spanish courts over supposedly not paying taxes" are Lionel Messi (sentenced to 21 months of jail and a fine), Javier Mascherano (accepted one year of jail and a fine), Samuel Eto'o (the process is open) and Adriano, "who is due to travel from Turkey to testify in front of a judge" (EL PERIÓDICO, 11/1).
