adminA court in the town of Gava near Barcelona accepted a state prosecutor’s complaint alleging that Messi and his father defrauded the Spanish tax office of £3,4 million.
The pair has been called to appear for questioning on September 17.
That will form part of an investigation to determine whether there exist grounds to officially charge them with tax evasion.
The court accepted the complaint lodged by prosecutor Raquel Amada on June 12 accusing the pair of not paying the correct taxes from revenue earned from image rights on Messi’s income tax returns from the years 2007, 2008 and 2009
The 25-year-old Argentinian, currently on international duty in South America, last week revealed he was “surprised” by the news.
In a statement on his official Facebook page, he wrote: “We have just known through the media about the claim filed by the Spanish tax authorities.
“We are surprised about the news, because we have never committed any infringement.
“We have always fulfilled all our tax obligations, following the advice of our tax consultants, who will take care of clarifying this situation.”
Messi arrived at the Nou Camp as a 13-year-old in 2000, made his first-team debut three years later and has gone on to establish himself as one of football’s best ever players.
He has won six Primera Division titles, three Champions League crowns and two FIFA Club World Cups with the Catalan giants, and in 2012 netted a record 86 goals for club and country.
Barcelona president Sandro Rosell also insisted he is convinced of Lionel Messi’s innocence, telling a Press conference last week: “Messi’s family is calm. They have all of our support. I do not doubt their innocence.” —Mailonline.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter