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Soccer star Lionel Messi is due to give evidence in a Spanish court on tax fraud charges.

The Argentina and Barcelona professional player and his father Jorge Messi, who manages his financial affairs, are accused of defrauding Spain of more than €4 million ($4.5 million) between 2007 and 2009.

Spain’s authorities allege that the two used tax havens in Belize and Uruguay to conceal earnings from image rights.

The tax agency is demanding heavy fines and prison sentences. Both men deny any wrongdoing.

Lionel Messi is to face trial for alleged tax evasion

Lionel Messi is to face trial for alleged tax evasion

The trial began on June 1, and June 3 is expected to be the final day. A verdict is not expected until next week.

Evidence is being considered regarding income related to Lionel Messi’s image rights, including contracts with Banco Sabadell, Danone, Adidas, Pepsi-Cola, Procter and Gamble, and the Kuwait Food Company.

Lionel Messi’s lawyers had argued that the player had “never devoted a minute of his life to reading, studying or analyzing” the contracts.

However, the high court in Barcelona ruled in June 2015 that the football star should not be granted immunity for not knowing what was happening with his finances, which were being managed in part by his father.

Lionel Messi and his father made a voluntary €5 million ($5.6 million) “corrective payment” – equal to the alleged unpaid tax plus interest – in August 2013.

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Soccer star Lionel Messi is to face trial for alleged tax evasion, a Spanish judge has ruled.

The judge rejected a prosecution recommendation to drop the charges on the grounds the player’s father was responsible for his finances.

Lionel Messi and his father Jorge are accused of defrauding the authorities of more than 4 million euros ($5 million).

Lionel and Jorge Messi, who deny wrongdoing, have five days to appeal against the ruling.

It is alleged that they withheld the money between 2007 and 2009.

 Lionel Messi is to face trial for alleged tax evasion

Lionel Messi is to face trial for alleged tax evasion

The income related to Lionel Messi’s image rights, including contracts with Banco Sabadell, Danone, Adidas, Pepsi-Cola, Procter and Gamble, and the Kuwait Food Company.

Lionel Messi and his father are suspected of avoiding paying Spanish tax by using companies in Belize and Uruguay to sell the rights to use Messi’s image.

The judge ruled: “In this type of crime, it is not necessary for someone to have complete knowledge of all the accounting and business operations nor the exact quantity, rather it is sufficient to be aware of the designs to commit fraud and consent to them.”

In August 2013, Lionel Messi and his father made a 5 million euro “corrective payment”, equal to the alleged unpaid tax plus interest.

Lionel Messi has been four times FIFA World Player of the Year and is captain of Argentina.

The court decision comes as Barcelona grapples with a separate prominent legal case.

A Madrid court is hearing a lawsuit that accuses Barcelona of misappropriating funds from the transfer fee to buy Brazil striker Neymar from Santos in 2013.

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell quit in January, but insisted he had “acted correctly” over the transfer.

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