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Messi loses tax court case

By Daily Sports on October 3, 2018

Soccer star Lionel Messi has lost a case against journalists that reported “irregularities” in the finances of his foundation.

Messi claimed that three articles in Spanish daily newspaper ABC had damaged his honour and demanded €202,786 in compensation.

He filed a claim in June 2017 against ABC director Bieto Rubido, and its investigative newspaper editor Javier Chicote.

The court hearing took place on July 18 in Gava, Barcelona, and the ruling has now emerged with Messi having to pay the court costs.

According to ABC newspaper, judge Patricia Batlle Ferrando of the Gava District Court dismissed the claim and highlighted the “professional diligence” shown by the journalists

She stated that the "figures [published] were true because the journalists have complied with the requested diligence and because the information, it's not only true but it hasn't been proven otherwise."

The judge also said Chicote tried to contact the foundation in order to contrast the figures he published but did not got a response.

The court found that "the figures and information provided by the journalist are true, because they are obtained from a rigorous and objective source."

The ruling stated that: "Messi's representation was limited to proposing two witnesses, members of the Leo Messi Foundation who, within the knowledge they said they had about the numbers of the foundation, recognised the veracity of the lack of registration of the entity until 2013."

The judge added that two witnesses said that "nearly 90 percent of the foundation's resources came from FC Barcelona."

Messi, who was found guilty of three counts of tax fraud in July 2016, can appeal against the sentence.

•Adapted from a KweseESPN.com report. Photo shows Lionel Messi

Source Daily Sports

Posted October 3, 2018