Samuel Eto'o is the latest among Barcelona's present and former players to face legal troubles in Spain. Spanish tax prosecutors are recommending a prison term of ten years and six months and a $15.1M fine for the former Barcelona striker for defrauding Spain's tax authority while playing under Barca, as per Associated Press.
Prosecutors are investigating four counts of tax fraud that amounts to $4M total from 2006 to 2009, per The Independent. They are also pushing for Samuel Eto'o to give up any public aid funds as well as possible fiscal incentives such as social security payments entitled for defendants. The charges stem from Eto'o's image rights to Puma and Barcelona and should have been allegedly taxed as income. The prosecutors claim that four years' worth of image earnings were diverted offshore instead, as per Marca.
The former Barcelona striker's agent Jose Maria Mesalles is also on trial for his involvement, along with Manuel de Jesus Lastre for administering the payments to Hungarian company KFT, which was used by Samuel Eto'o for hiding the money, as per Marca. Prosecutors are seeking a prison term for Mesalles, with the same length as Eto'o's. Jesus Lastre's recommended term is comparatively shorter at only five years and eight months with a $2.3M fine, as per Associated Press.
Unlike his former teammates Lionel Messi and Neymar, Samuel Eto'o might serve jail time if found guilty as the Spanish prosecutors are calling for harsher measures with a recommended ten-year prison term. Eto'o and his camp could not be contacted immediately for comment regarding the issue, as per Associated Press.
