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| Lionel Messi |
Lionel
Messi and his father were ordered by a Spanish court on Thursday to
appear for questioning in September as part of an investigation into tax
fraud allegations.
A court in the Mediterranean coastal
town of Gava near Barcelona accepted a state prosecutor’s complaint
alleging that Messi and father Jorge defrauded the Spanish tax office of
$5.3m.
The Barcelona and Argentina star and his
father will appear before judge Anju Deb Rani in Gava on Sept. 17. That
will form part of an investigation to determine whether grounds exist
to charge them with tax evasion.
The court said in a statement the judge’s acceptance of the complaint was a ‘’routine step.’’
If charged and found guilty, Messi and
his father could face a fine amounting to 150 percent of the concealed
earnings and between two and six years in prison. An out-of-court
agreement is another possible outcome.
Messi and his father will have to appear
in person for a session that will be closed to the public, court
officials told The Associated Press. The timing could coincide with
Barcelona’s opening game in the Champions League – Sept. 17 or 18.
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