Spain’s Supreme Court Upholds Lionel Messi’s 21-Month Jail Sentence For Tax Fraud

Spain’s Supreme Court on Wednesday denied Lionel Messi’s appeal against a 21-month prison sentence for tax fraud, although the Barcelona forward is unlikely to serve jail time.

Lionel Messi and Father’s Appeal Denied, but Unlikely to Serve Jail Time Under Spanish Law

The 29-year-old Argentine soccer star and his father Jorge — who manages his finances — were both convicted by a Barcelona court in July 2016 for evading €4.1m (£3.5m; $4.6m) in taxes on Messi’s image rights from 2007 to 2009.

Per MailOnline’s Pete South, Messi and his father were also fined €2 million ($2.24 million) and €1.5 million ($1.68 million) respectively.

Jorge Messi’s sentence was reduced from 21 months to 15 by the Supreme Court to account for the income he had since handed to tax authorities.

Both him and his son probably won’t spend any time in jail, however, given Spanish laws dictating that prison terms of less than two years (for non-violent offenses) can be served under probation.

South explained that it is common under Spanish law for defendants without prior convictions to avoid prison time for such crimes.

Messi and his father were found guilty of three counts of fraud for using tax havens in Belize and Uruguay — as well as shell companies in the U.K. and Switzerland — between 2007 and 2009.

The pair were charged with employing fake companies to avoid paying Spanish taxes on income that derived from companies paying for the use of the Argentine striker’s image rights.

News of the investigation initially surfaced in 2013, when Jorge reportedly paid more than €5 million ($5.6 million) in arrears and extra charges. Messi’s father also allegedly paid €10 million ($11.2 million) in taxes due on the player’s image rights income from 2010 to 2011.

These transactions are reportedly the reason for Jorge’s sentence being reduced by six months.

Messi, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, repeatedly denied any wrongdoing during his trial in June 2016.