Skip to content

Lionel Messi facing 22 months in jail if guilty of tax fraud

Lionel Messi prepares for another Champions League final
Image: Lionel Messi could face up to 22 months in jail if he is found guilty

Lionel Messi is facing up to 22 months in jail if he is found guilty of defrauding the Spanish tax authorities.

Prosecutors had argued that the Argentina superstar had no case to answer after he and his father were accused of defrauding the Spanish authorities of nearly £3.5m between 2007 and 2009.

The prosecutors said they believed the Barca forward had no knowledge of the fraud which they alleged was carried out by his father Jorge.

Lionel Messi of Barcelona reacts to Juventus' equaliser during the UEFA Champions League Final between
Image: The state attorney stated that Messi should stand trial

But the judge has now accepted the advice of the state attorney, who states that Messi should also stand trial on three counts of tax evasion.

The maximum sentence for the offences is 22.5 months.

Also See:

Messi and his father paid the Spanish authorities a 'corrective payment' of £3.7m after they were formally charged in June 2013.

Around Sky