Argentina and Barcelona footballer Lionel Messi has been sentenced to
21 months in prison for tax fraud.
His father, Jorge Messi, was also given a jail term for defrauding
Spain of €4.1m (£3.5m; $4.5m) between 2007 and 2009.
They also face millions of euros in fines for using tax havens in Belize
and Uruguay to conceal earnings from image rights.
However, neither man is expected to serve time in jail.
Under the Spanish system, prison terms of under two years can be served under probation.
The footballer and his father were found guilty of three counts of tax
fraud in Wednesday's ruling by the court in Barcelona.
As well as the jail terms, Messi was fined about €2m and his father
€1.5m. They made a voluntary €5m "corrective payment", equal to the
alleged unpaid tax plus interest, in
August 2013.
The sentence can be appealed against via the Spanish supreme court.

www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36721892

na dis fraudster dey bag world best? abeg make dem extend am with 5 years