- Address: Los Angeles
- City: Los Angeles
- State: Los Angeles
View Interactive Institutional Research (Powered by Trefis): Global Large Cap | U.S. Mid Small Cap | European Large Mid Cap More Trefis Research Like our charts? Embed them in your own posts using the Trefis WordPress Plugin.Footballer Lionel Messi To Face Trial On Tax Fraud Charges. Lionel Messi is having one roller coaster of a month. On Saturday, the FC Barcelona(“Barca”) soccer starhelped boost his team to a 3-1 win over Juventus in the UEFA Champions League final, marking the fifth time that Barca has taken home the league trophy. While Messi didn’t score in that game, he clearly played a pivotal role. He also played a big part in getting Barca to the finals, scoringtwo of the three goals in Barca’s FIFA Coin semi-final tie match against Bayern Munich to make it to the finals. Xavi Hern aacute;ndez, who sat down with UEFA.com after his final Barca match, labeled his teammate “a phenomenon… He’s the best at everything, no matter what he does.” But all of the accolades and trophies in the world can’t save Messi from pending tax charges. Today, a Spanish court confirmed that Messi and his father, Jorge Horacio Messi, remain under investigation on tax fraud charges and will face trial. According to the complaint filed in 2013, Messi’s father, Jorge, initiated a scheme using a series of shell companies in tax havens to shield royalties and other licensing income from Spanish income tax. The tax havens, said to be located in Belize and Uruguay, were the ultimate destination for the funds, allegedly funneled through an elaborate maze including the U.K. and Switzerland. The scheme reportedly allowed the pair to avoid paying nearly €4.165 million ($5.5 million U.S.) in tax. You can read the original complaint here (downloads as a pdf in Spanish). Argentinian football team player Lionel Messi smiles during a press conference in La Serena, Chile on June 9, 2015, ahead of the Copa America 2015, which will take place from June 11 to July 4. AFP PHOTO VLADIMIR RODAS (Photo credit should read VLADIMIR RODAS AFP Getty Images) Messi, who hails from Argentina, made his debut on the world football stage in Barcelona in 2000 at the age of 13. His age is key since the scheme was reportedlyhatched in 2005. While Messi was a minor for much of 2005, he turned 18 on June 24, 2005. According to prosecutors, Messi allegedly signed documents related to licensing revenues after that time and in January of 2006, he subsequently ratified documents that were signed on his behalf. The specific years initially targeted by the prosecution were 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. According to El Pais, the years at issue for purposes of trial are 2007, 2008 and 2009 (it has been widely speculated that the investigation would be extended to include 2010, 2011 and 2012 but that hasn’t happened, so far as we know).
Loading
List all items from this seller
Useful information
- Avoid scams by acting locally or paying with PayPal
- Never pay with Western Union, Moneygram or other anonymous payment services
- Don't buy or sell outside of your country. Don't accept cashier cheques from outside your country
- This site is never involved in any transaction, and does not handle payments, shipping, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer "buyer protection" or "seller certification"