Sanchez accused of tax fraud during FC Barcelona days
Alexis Sanchez has been charged with tax fraud while at FC Barcelona by Spanish authorities. The Chilean has been accused of "actively withholding" taxes in relation to his image rights that fall in the range of almost a million euros and could lead to a prison term.
The Arsenal attacker has allegedly failed to declare €587,677 in 2012 and another €395,766 in 2013, and is now accused of trying to defraud the Inland Revenue according to El Periodico. Prosecutors allege that Sanchez “actively withheld” €983,443 before completing a move to London in 2014.
Sanchez's agent, Fernando Felicevich, denied any misdoing by the talented midfielder.
"Alexis Sanchez has fully obeyed the laws imposed by the countries where he has resided," Felicevich said in a statement on Wednesday.
"He has paid taxes to all the local tax and revenue organizations. Furthermore, all of his personal and image rights income has been declared to all of those national tax and revenue agencies."
This is not the first time a Barcelona player has been accused of tax evasion as the Chilean's former team-mates Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano were involved in similar scandals.
Messi, who was found guilty of tax evasions of €4 m, was handed a 21-month prison sentence and had to cough up €1.7m in fines. Mascherano was given a one-year jail sentence for failing to declare over €1.5m between 2011 and 2012. However, the prison sentences for both players were later suspended.
Comments
Leave a comment0 Comments