The tax evasion case against Messi will go ahead; a Spanish judge said Monday, dismissing a plea from the state prosecutor to drop the tax fraud charges levied on the Barcelona forward.
Messi landed in a legal soup in 2013 after a lawsuit filed against him and his father, Jorge Horacio Messi, alleged that the duo avoided paying more than 4 million Euros in taxes between 2007 and 2009 by filing false returns.
The prosecutor said last month that his father Jorge was responsible for the family's finances and the case against Messi be dropped. The presiding judge of the court in Gavà, in the province of Barcelona, was not convinced and wanted the case to go ahead.
The judge said in a statement that "sufficient evidence" showed that the 27-year-old footballer could have known about and approved of the creation of fictitious companies used to evade tax arising from the income generated from his endorsements and appearances, reports sports daily AS.
Forbes lists Messi as the fourth-highest paid athlete in the world. He earns almost $65 million annually, of which $23 million comes from endorsements. He follows boxer Floyd Mayweather, Real Madrid footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and basketball player LeBron James on the list.
Messi, although born in Argentina, comes under Spanish income tax law. He has signed up with the FC Barca club for a lucrative deal running into $50 million per year, including incentives, through 2018, reports Forbes.
Messi was heading the Argentine side in the World Cup 2014 Brazil that lost to Germans in the final. He was honored with the Golden Ball award for the best player of the tournament.
