Spain’s Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a 21-month jail sentence for Barcelona forward Lionel Messi. Messi had earlier appealed against the court’s ruling in 2016, in which he was convicted of tax fraud along with his father, Jorge Messi.
Lionel Messi and his father, Jorge, have been convicted for defrauding Spain of $4.6 million. Both were convicted of three counts of fraud, for using tax havens in Belize and Uruguay between 2007 and 2009.
However, the jail sentence is likely to be suspended as is common in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying a sentence of less than two years. The prison term will be served in probation.