Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi and his father, Jorge Horacio, will face trial for tax evasion. Today, the judge in charge of this case denied an appeal for Barcelona's striker, who was trying to avoid a procedure against him. The authority stated Messi could have been aware of his father's operations, basically because Jorge Messi handles all of the player's financial issues.
Messi is being investigated over evading taxes concerning image rights. Spanish officials have said the Messis presented fraudulent returns during a three year period, starting in 2007. The penalty for this offense may result in a six year imprisonment and a large fine. No date has been set for a potential court trial, and it hasn't been revealed if new evidence was presented to suggest if the player was aware of any illegal activity.
The judge also rejected Messi's proposal to have his personal consultants and the team's representatives declaring as witnesses, since their testimony would be characterized as "irrelevant to the procedure".
The player reacted to the news on social media, claiming his innocence:
"We have never commited any infringement. We have always fulfilled our tax obligations, following the advice of our tax consultants who will take care of clarifying this situation," the player posted.
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