The ex-President of Barcelona says that Messi pays his taxes....sort of.
Quote:
BARCELONA, Spain -- Former Barcelona president Joan Laporta defended Lionel Messi against allegations of tax fraud on Thursday, a case that experts say could carry a prison sentence for the Argentina star.
"I am convinced that neither Leo nor his father have committed any infraction," Laporta told Cope radio. "The situation could be that they don't have any responsibility in these events. There can be third parties who are responsible.
"I know them and they have always wanted to act within the law, and that's how they acted with the club, at least when I was president."
Laporta said that Messi and his family lacked the financial know-how necessary to have set up the network of shell companies and tax havens in countries including Belize and Uruguay described in the prosecutor's complaint.
"They were always careful, let's say even wary, when faced with these situations that were over their heads because they didn't have the knowledge of a lawyer or a tax expert, and so they went out and got advisers," he said.
"(The law) is the same for everyone," he said. "Even for the No. 1."
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http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/14...-taxes?cc=5901
Hes not going to go to jail, but hes probably going to have to pay the money. The King of Spain's son-in-law cant get away with this so I doubt Messi can.
That said, what struck me from Laporta's comments is how vague and non-committal they were:
- He is convinced
- The situation could be...
- There may be third parties...
- They have always acted within the law to Barcelona w/ caveat
- They were always wary
The big thing is that Spain needs the tax money, I think they have to pay it back to England via the EU! Haha!