Lionel Messi stunned by tax fraud claims

The Barcelona star, along with father Jorge, has been accused of
evading tax charges over a three-year period and is allegedto owe in
the region of €4 million
Jun 12, 2013 4:12:00 PM
Lionel Messi, Barcelona Barcelona star Lionel Messi has been rocked by
accusations of tax evasion, totalling over €4 million between 2006 and
2009.
The Spanish tax authorities are investigating claims that the
four-time Ballon d'Or winner and his father, Jorge Horacio, have
avoided paying the charges due from sales of the 25-year-old's image
rights by operating through companies based outside of the country.
A complaint, signed by prosecutor Raquel Amado, was filed with the
courthouse in the Gava district of Barcelona on Wednesday.
Messi moved quickly to deny the claims, and in a statement released
via his official Facebook account, he revealed he had only been made
awareof the developments through media channels and not official
sources.
He said:"We have learned through the media about the claim filed by
the Spanish tax authorities.
"We are surprised about this news, because we have not committed any
infringement. We have always fulfilled all of our tax obligations,
following theadvice of our tax consultants, who will take care of
clarifying this situation."
Under Spanish law, Messi could face a maximum penalty of six years in
prisonif found guilty.