Lionel Messi News and Rumors: Messi Name Revealed in Panama Papers Leak
When the now famous Panama Papers leak from the law firm Mossack Fonseca took place, the names of the rich and the famous and the powerful from all across the world figured in the list of people who had used off shore shell companies to hide their wealth. However, in a sensational revelation, Barcelona forward Lionel Messi's name has now been revealed as one of the people who had bought shell companies in order to hide their health from the authorities.
The company Mega Star Enterprises, registered in Panama, that was established in 2013 is jointly owned by Lionel Messi and his father Jorge, who acts as his financial advisor. In fact, among the large tranche of leaked papers, there is one paper that bears Messi's signature and shows him as the owner of the company. The existence of the company has never been revealed in any of the tax filings that Messi and his representatives have produced to the Spanish authorities over the past two years. However, it is also important to point out that by last year, the entire ownership of the company had been passed on to Messi's father Jorge and currently the Barcelona star is not associated with the company if the papers are to be believed.
Messi is scheduled to appear in a Spanish court in relation to tax fraud charges later this year after he dodged $6.5 million worth of taxes between the years 2007 and 2009 by masking his earninghs through foreign entities. He has already paid back the money and stated that he had no intention of duping the tax system in Spain. Followin the recent revelations, Mess and his family have released a statement denying the whole affair, 'In light of stories released by different media outlets which attribute Lionel Messi to the creation of a company designed to 'set up a new web of fiscal fraud', the Messi family wishes to make it clear Lionel Messi has not carried out any of the acts he has been accused of and accusations he has designed a new web of fiscal fraud and created a money laundering network are false and damaging,'
