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Lionel Messi appears in Spanish court over tax fraud | Lionel Messi appears in Spanish court over tax fraud |
(about 3 hours later) | |
Barcelona footballer Lionel Messi has appeared before a Spanish judge as part of a tax fraud investigation. | |
The 26-year-old Argentine, four times Fifa World Player of the Year, and his father Jorge Messi are accused of defrauding the authorities of more than 4m euros ($5.4m; £3.4m). | The 26-year-old Argentine, four times Fifa World Player of the Year, and his father Jorge Messi are accused of defrauding the authorities of more than 4m euros ($5.4m; £3.4m). |
The two men were questioned separately at the court in Gava, near Barcelona. | |
Both father and son deny the allegations. The Messis' lawyer said he wanted to resolve the matter. | |
The footballer and his father are suspected of using companies abroad - in Belize and Uruguay - to sell the rights to use Lionel Messi's image, thereby circumventing tax obligations in Spain. The allegations date back to 2007-9. | |
The income related to Mr Messi's image rights included contracts with Banco Sabadell, Danone, Adidas, Pepsi-Cola, Proctor and Gamble, and the Kuwait Food Company. | |
'Tougher line' | 'Tougher line' |
After Friday's hearing, which was a closed-court session, the state prosecutor's spokesman told the BBC that no agreement had been reached with the two men and their lawyers. | |
The spokesman said that the defence's strategy had been to pin blame on Jorge Messi, insisting on the innocence of the star striker. | |
In August, Jorge Messi made a payment of 5m euros to the tax authorities - the 4.16m euros of the alleged unpaid tax plus interest. | In August, Jorge Messi made a payment of 5m euros to the tax authorities - the 4.16m euros of the alleged unpaid tax plus interest. |
The BBC's Tom Burridge in Madrid says that Spanish tax authorities are taking a much tougher line on tax infringements due to the country's economic crisis, which is why they are continuing to pursue the case despite this payment. | |
Lionel Messi has previously stated that he and and his father "have never committed any infringement. We have always fulfilled all our tax obligations". | |
'Humble' | 'Humble' |
Mr Messi's net salary from Barcelona is said to be about 16m euros a year, making him one of the world's most highly paid sportspeople. | |
He has also signed multi-million-dollar endorsements with commercial sponsors around the world. | He has also signed multi-million-dollar endorsements with commercial sponsors around the world. |
Mr Messi's achievements on the field have made him one of the most marketable in the business. | |
He came from a modest background and has overcome a serious health issue, joining Barcelona as a 13-year-old in 2000 and making his first-team debut only three years later. | He came from a modest background and has overcome a serious health issue, joining Barcelona as a 13-year-old in 2000 and making his first-team debut only three years later. |
But the allegations are a big blow to the prestige of the player, who has long been seen as a more humble figure than most top-class footballers. | But the allegations are a big blow to the prestige of the player, who has long been seen as a more humble figure than most top-class footballers. |