MADRID: Spain’s Supreme Court on Wednesday confirmed a 21-month jail sentence and 2.09-million-euro ($2.25 million) fine imposed on Lionel Messi for tax fraud, months after the Barcelona football star lodged an appeal. Both Messi and his father were given 21 months in jail — sentences likely to be suspended as is common in Spain for first offenses for non-violent crimes carrying a sentence of less than two years. They appealed to the Supreme Court. While the court confirmed the sentence for Messi on Wednesday, it reduced it to 15 months jail for his father, taking into account that his football star son had paid back the defrauded money to tax authorities. But the Supreme Court argued that he would have known about his obligation to pay taxes on income earned from his image rights.

Source: Manila Times May 24, 2017 12:11 UTC