Messi under investigation for tax evasion
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lionel Messi and his father have been ordered by a Spanish court to appear for questioning on Sept. 17 as part of an investigation into tax fraud allegations, it was announced late Thursday.
A state prosecutor issued a complaint alleging that Messi and father Jorge defrauded the Spanish tax office out of approximately $5.3 million.
Messi and his father will appear before judge Anju Deb Rani to determine whether there exist grounds to charge them with tax evasion.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}If charged and found guilty, Messi and his father could face a fine of up to 150 percent of the concealed earnings and up to six years in prison, although an out-of-court deal is another plausible outcome.