Lionel Messi potentially faces up to 2 years in prison, over alleged tax evasion.
The 27-year-old superstar and his father, Jorge, are accused of defrauding Spain of over €4million in taxes by using tax havens to conceal image rights earnings in the period 2007-2009.
The Spanish tax authorities are said to want Messi and his father in Jail for 2 years, though it seems the public prosecutor is only interested in his father. Both Messi Jr and Sr deny any wrongdoing in the incident.
Messi is not expected to give evidence until Thursday, which is expected to be the final day of a three-day hearing.
Jorge Messi, who is the principal focus of the trial, has been insistent that both him and his son are innocent, though the Spanish authorities claim that Lionel was nonetheless aware of the methods being taken to conceal his revenue. His signature appears on incriminating documents- something very worrying for the individual.
Argentina skipper Messi has already tried to put things right- after making two significant payments, totalling €15million, for the period 2010-2011. Despite the prosecution wanting a jail sentence, it is very unlikely that Lionel Messi will be incarcerated.
Messi not the only Barca star in hot water:
Barcelona teammate Javier Mascherano was handed a jail sentence earlier this year as part of a plea agreement , but instead paid a further fine to have it suspended until further notice.
Neymar, also of Barcelona, was recently ordered to pay over €50million after Brazilian authorities pursued him over unpaid tax that they claim was concealed during his move to Spain.
