MADRID — A state prosecutor for the northeastern region of Catalonia has lodged a lawsuit against Lionel Messi for fraud in unpaid income tax amounting to $5.3 million (4 million euros).
The complaint, signed by prosecutor Raquel Amado, has been submitted for trial at the courthouse in Gava, the upscale Barcelona district where the Argentina forward lives.
The document, presented to the court on Wednesday, brings a lawsuit against Barcelona star Messi and his father, Jorge Horacio Messi.
Both are accused of three offenses against the public purse for allegedly defrauding more than $5.3 million in income tax returns relating to the years 2007, 2008 and 2009.
A judge at the courthouse must accept the prosecutor’s lawsuit before charges can be brought against Messi and his father.