Football ace Messi sentenced to slammer on tax fraud
Football ace Lionel Messi has been sentenced to 21 months' jail for tax fraud, but it seems probable that he will avoid serving time in the slammer, the BBC has reported.
Messi's father, Jorge, was also sentenced to jail for defrauding Spain of €4.1m between 2007 and 2009.
The pair also faces millions of euros in fines for using tax havens in Belize and Uruguay to hide earnings from image rights, the BBC reported.
The Argentine and Barcelona footballer and his father were found guilty of three counts of tax fraud in Wednesday's ruling by the court in Barcelona.
In the Spanish justice system, prison terms of less than two years can be served on probation.
Messi alleged he had no knowledge of his financial affairs, claiming he was playing football.