Lionel Messi tax evasion case: Prosecutors ask judge to drop charges

[File photo] Lionel Messi and his father (L) Jorge leave the court in Spain

Prosecutors in Spain have asked the judge who charged Argentina and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi with tax evasion to drop the charges.

Messi, along with his father Jorge, had appeared in a court in Spain to testify against the charges that they had failed to pay their taxes which amounted to more than €4 million. Messi and his father however have denied any wrongdoings.

In fact, it was reported that the Messis had paid €5m euros in August as a corrective payment which was equal to the alleged amount with interest.

Jorge Messi who has taken full responsibility of his son’s tax situation will however remain under the scanner.

"It is clear that Lionel A Messi did not participate in the decisions on the management and destiny of his income nor was he aware of the reach, dimension, purpose or impact of the structure of the holding (to avoid taxes)," said prosecutor Raquel Amado in a statement.

The Argentine skipper and his father were alleged of circumventing their tax obligations in Spain by selling the talismanic forward’s image rights to companies in Belize and Uruguay.

Companies who have rights to use Messi’s image to sell their products are one of the many sources of income for Messi and include brands like Banco Sabadell, Danone, Adidas, Pepsi-Cola, Proctor and Gamble and the Kuwait Food Company.