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Privacy concerns still hamper the re-proposed rule |
What a messy few months Argentinean football star, Lionel Messi, has had with the Spanish tax authorities. We are used to seeing the diminutive star running rings around his opponents on the football field, but recently the question has arisen as to whether Messi has been trying to run rings around the taxman, too. Thankfully for him, and the rest of his countrymen, his performance on the pitch has not suffered, and now neither will his bank balance, after the case against him in relation to charges of tax fraud was dropped by prosecutors. Leo can now let out a sigh of relief and focus all of his attention on the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil safe in the knowledge that he will not have to swap his blue and white jersey for an orange jumpsuit.
For Jorge Messi, however – Lionel's father and the man in charge of the forward's finances – there is no such favourable news, with the case against him expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
According to prosecutors, Messi senior was responsible for diverting money to companies in Belize, the UK, Switzerland and Uruguay, in order to circumvent the Spanish authorities. In a bid to protect his son, Jorge announced that Lionel had nothing to do with any of the dodgy dealings. Throughout the entire ordeal the Barcelona man has held that he had no knowledge of his father's actions, and it would appear that the authorities believe him. In an attempt to clear up the mess and calm the case (and with echoes of Starbucks' £20 million voluntary tax payment to the UK back in 2013), the Messi family paid €5 million ($6.8 million) to the Spanish tax authorities, but they are still reluctant to drop the legal proceedings.
Right now Messi will be hoping to return home with the World Cup in tow, and the recent decision will no doubt be a huge boost for his country's campaign in Brazil. But, when he returns, no matter the outcome on the pitch, he will be hoping his father can secure a positive result in Spain.
