The state prosecutor has accepted Lionel Messi’s 21-month sentence for tax fraud and won’t appeal, but the player’s lawyer is expected to do so.
Messi was earlier in July sentenced to just under two years in prison for evading tax on €4.1m in image rights, but Spanish law means he won’t serve any jail time, and AS reports that despite the state initially only bringing charges against Leo’s father, Jorge Messi, they aren’t appealing the conviction handed to the Barcelona forward.
There had been the chance that the state, having not included Leo Messi in the original action – accepting his defence that he didn’t know what he was signing when he agreed to move image rights to offshore companies – that they would appeal the sentence to the supreme court.
The judge in the case however rejected the suggestion that Leo Messi should not stand trial, and the case against the Argentina international was brought by the Treasury.
Enrique Bacigalupo, Messi’s lawyer, is expected to lodge an appeal over the sentence with the supreme court within the next few days.
