BBC - Messi sentenced to 21months prison for tax fraud !

[Frogfish]

[article="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36721892"]
Argentina and Barcelona footballer Lionel Messi has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for tax fraud, Spanish media say.

His father, Jorge Messi, was also given a jail term for defrauding Spain of €4.1m (£3.5m; $4.5m) between 2007 and 2009.

They also face millions of euros in fines for using tax havens in Belize and Uruguay used to conceal earnings from image rights, however, they are likely to avoid jail.
Under the Spanish system, prison terms under two years can be served under probation.

The footballer and his father were found guilty of three counts of tax fraud in Wednesday's ruling by the court in Barcelona.

During the trial, Lionel Messi claimed he "knew nothing" about the management of his financial affairs, saying he was "playing football".
[/article]

 

[Frogfish]

On Sky as well now.

Sky Sports News HQ ‏@SkySportsNewsHQ 1m1 minute ago
BREAKING: Lionel Messi given 21-month prison sentence for tax fraud. #SSNHQ

 

[Frogfish]

Fuuuuucking hell !

 

[ILD]

WOW, surely be a suspended sentence?

 

[LeTallecWiz]

THEY WON'T SELL LUIS SUAREZ ... 🙁

 

[Frogfish]

Just read elsewhere that's it a SUSPENDED sentence.

 

[JurgenKlopp]

It's suspended as the duration is under 2yrs. Was always going to happen

 

[Frogfish]

Well there goes his Credit Rating and US Green Card.

 

[6TimesaRed]

On the back of that.. I imagine he may now leave Barcelona..

He will be in the Premiership next Season..

 

[doctor_mac]

Credit rating? You mean his chances of getting a £15,000 loan with Santander at a decent interest rate have been screwed? Lad must be gutted.

 

[Frogfish]

Sky

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has been given a 21-month jail sentence for tax evasion - but is unlikely to go prison.

Messi and his father, Jorge, have received the same sentence but under Spanish law a prison sentence under two years can be served on probation, meaning they are unlikely to serve any time.

More to follow...

 

[Frogfish]

Credit rating? You mean his chances of getting a £15,000 loan with Santander at a decent interest rate have been screwed? Lad must be gutted.

Whoooooosh.

 

[FoxForceFive]

Just heard this & first thing I thought is 'that's gotta be a suspended sentence'.

Still a helluva sentence though. I've not read anything about it but assume there was strong evidence he knew that the investments were done implicitly with the purposes of tax avoidance.

 

[ILD]

Didn't Mascherano dodge a similar charge recently ?

 

[Jack D Rips]

Why would he leave Spain because of this?

 

[doctor_mac]

Whoooooosh.

 

[6TimesaRed]

Why would he leave Spain because of this?

If the Spanish media turn against him, no doubt he will leave..

 

[Arn]

Probably the reason he quit the national team. I doubt that it is a coincidence that he did that 10 days or so before the verdict.

 

[dantes]

Probably the reason he quit the national team. I doubt that it is a coincidence that he did that 10 days or so before the verdict.

The fuck? You 'doubt' it was a coincidence that the Copa final was held ten days before a case listed for hearing in Spain?

 

[The Nomad]

If the Spanish media turn against him, no doubt he will leave..

I doubt it... too much tax here.

 

[HC]

This is a cop-out isn't it? If someone is guilty to the degree that you'll hand them a sentence just shy of two years, how can they be innocent enough that the sentence should also be suspended.

Celebrity/ any one of wealth / influence trials should be done in supreme secrecy without the judge / jury / anyone knowing who is involved until after the case, then we might start seeing some suitable outcomes for these fuckers.

On a side note, now we know he's bent as fuck does this nudge anyone closer to the idea that he's been doped off his face for the duration of his career?

 

[Squiggles]

In Spain any non violent offence under 2 years does not warrant a prison sentence.

 

[The Nomad]

In Spain any non violent offence under 2 years does not warrant a prison sentence.

Still though... The judge has bottled it to a degree. An appeals judge now has an opportunity to increase it (or decrease it) to 22 or 23 months and still he avoids jail.

 

[Squiggles]

Still though... The judge has bottled it to a degree. An appeals judge now has an opportunity to increase it (or decrease it) to 22 or 23 months and still he avoids jail.

I don't why people are saying its a dodge. It seems straight forward to me. Their legal system operates differently to ours; they don't see the point in spending billions of pounds incarcerating non-violent offenders.

If you think tax evasion deserves more than 2 years in prison then fair enough - that's your morality, but consider that people in England have evaded loads of tax and haven't been banged up for 6 months, let alone 2 years, which is the threshold we're judging this against.

 

[binomial]

He's not actually going to prison guys.

 

[Fabio]

He's not actually going to prison guys.

IS HE NOT

Why did no one else say this?

 

[Dreambeliever]

Shame it's a suspended sentence,

was looking forward to real life version of Mean Machine.

 

[binomial]

IS HE NOT

Why did no one else say this?

Oh sorry, i didn't read the part where no one else could post it.

 

[manwithnoname]

Oh sorry, i didn't read the part where no one else could post it.

Fucking hell, state of this