Thursday, 20th June, 2013
Lionel Messi has been slapped with a court date in response to a complaint over alleged tax fraud committed by the Barcelona star and his father.
The Argentina international and his father Jorge have been accused of filing fraudulent tax return to the tune of more than €4m between 2007 and 2009.
The allegations first surfaced in early June, with Lionel Messi quickly responding via his Facebook page, insisting the duo had complied with all their obligations lawfully.
However, prosecutor Raquel Amada’s complaint had been accepted on 12th June by a court in the town of Gava near Barcelona, and the star has been ordered to appear on 17th September along with his father.
relatedNewsStory
The summons is part of the investigation process which will determine if formal charges need to be filed against the duo, who are alleged to have funnelled money through off-shore accounts to avoid taxes.
It remains to be seen if the court date will affect Lionel Messi’s Barcelona commitments, with the new La Liga campaign expected to kick off in August.
Lionel Messi is currently the world’s second-highest paid footballer – behind David Beckham – with earnings of €35m from both his salary and various sponsorship and image-rights deals.
After the allegations were revealed, Barcelona had come out in support of their player, with president Sandro Russell insisting he had "no doubt about [Lionel] Messi’s innocence".
If the charges against the pair are eventually proven, they face a jail term with some reports claiming it could be six years.
Like betting on football? You simply must check out Inside Bet!
