Lionel Messi’s former tax advisors came out in support of the football star on Wednesday as his trial for alleged fraud continued in Barcelona, saying he never handled his wealth management.
Messi, 28, and his father Jorge Horacio Messi are accused of using fake companies in Belize and Uruguay to avoid paying taxes on €4.16 million of his income earned through the sale of his image rights from 2007-09.
The trial kicked off in Barcelona on Tuesday, and the five-time World Player of the Year himself will take the stand on Thursday before joining his Argentina teammates for the Copa America in the United States.
He “didn’t take any decisions and I didn’t see anyone consulting him for anything,” said Angel Juarez, one of the partners at law firm Juarez Veciana which managed Messi’s tax affairs at the time.
“I don’t know if any of my correspondence has been included in the case, but they will see that Lionel Messi does not appear in any of it,” added Inigo de Loyola, another partner and Juarez’s brother.
Juarez was responsible for creating several companies in Uruguay, then considered a tax haven.
Messi’s father had hired the law firm as he had ongoing disputes with his then advisor who was managing the footballer’s image rights through a company based in Belize — and wanted him out.
The Barcelona firm decided to create a mirror structure in Uruguay.
Jenbril was 100 percent owned by Messi and he poured his image rights earnings in there, and Frosyl was where his father deposited his commissions as the player’s agent.
These companies are the main focus of the investigation.
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