Messi summoned on alleged tax fraud

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.