Samuel Eto'o and his former agent José María Mesalles accept prison sentences for tax evasion
Former Barcelona football player Samuel Eto'o and his former agent José María Mesalles have accepted prison sentences of 22 months and 1 year, respectively. The Cameroonian admitted to defrauding the Spanish Tax Agency of €3,872,621 during his time in the Spanish league.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the former forward admitted to the fraud but indirectly blamed his former agent, whom he considered a second father. "I acknowledge the facts and I am going to pay. I want it to be known that at the time I was a child and I always did what my father told me to do," he admitted.
The Public Prosecution Office had requested prison sentences of 4 years and 6 months for Eto'o and Mesalles, respectively.
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The total amount is €1,819,310 for Eto'o and €905,155 for his former agent. The prison sentences will be suspended, as neither of the defendants has a criminal record.
The Public Prosecution considered it vital that both defendants acknowledged the facts and agreed to return part of the defrauded money. The undeclared amount corresponds to payments for the image rights of the Cameroonian to the sporting brand Puma and to Barcelona.