Post source: http://www.nkenu.com/2016/07/explaining-messi-jail-sentence.html

**Author - Adediran Adedayo

On Wednesday, 6th of July, Lionel Messi and his father were sentenced to 21 months in Jail after they were found guilty of tax fraud by a Spanish Court. The case which spanned through a 3 year period, was put to rest after a four-day trial, which was wrapped up on June. It was alleged that the player and his father who manages his image rights, were guilty of using companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid tax payments to Spanish Authorities. The alleged tax payments amounted to a total of 4.16 million euros over a period of three years, (2007-09). This was from the Barcelona's maestro total image rights earnings from endorsement deals with top companies like Pepsi, Danone, Adidas etc.

In August 2013, during initial investigations, Lionel Messi and Jorge Messi (the star player's father) voluntarily paid 5 million Euros to cover up for the alleged unpaid taxes plus interest. Claims from the Argentine's Camp is that the Messi is ignorant of the alleged fraud, as his image rights dealings are solely managed and directed by Jorge Messi. With all the pleas of the player's defense team for the player's absolution from the trial, the court proceeded to sentence both the player and his dad, on the basis that the player couldn't claim full ignorance of the management of his earnings over the three years.

According to the court's official release:

"There is no deliberate ignorance here, it is fraud and that is it,because he didn't want to pay his taxes. It is like a crime boss. At the very top is the bigwig who doesn't want to know about the details. If Lionel is not punished accordingly, ordinary citizens could conclude that it was better not to show interest in their tax obligations".

Alongside the jail term, Lionel Messi is to pay 2.09 million euros and Jorge Messi to pay 1.6 million euros as fine. On the backdrop of this, the 5 time Balon D'or recipient's lawyers have vowed to ensure that the judgement is overturned by appealing the judgment at the Supreme Court, with a view to persuading the Court that both men behaved accordingly. They were quoted thus:

"The most recent laws from the Supreme Court on the matter that concerns us would seem to prove the argument of the defense".

The player and his father aren't expected to serve the jail terms, as the Spanish laws suspend prison sentences for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying a sentence of less than two years. The appeal can take up to a year.

Source: http://www.nkenu.com/2016/07/explaining-messi-jail-sentence.html

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