Former Inter Milan Star Samuel Eto’o Handed 22- Month Sentence For Tax Fraud.

Ex- Barcelona forward Samuel Eto’o has been handed a 22-month suspended prison sentence for £3m tax fraud after the 41- year-old failed to declare income from the transfer of image rights.

According to the Daily Mail, the former Inter Milan and Chelsea forward admitted the offence alleges that he was a victim of manipulation by his former agent Jose Maria Mesalles.

Reports say the fraud relates to Eto’o neglecting to declare income derived from the transfer of image rights to Puma and Barcelona in his personal income tax return between 2006 and 2009.

However, the former Everton forward said he would repay all the money but sought to put responsibility to his former agent – Mesalles, who he viewed as a father at the time of the offence.

“it was my father who took care of the child I was then, Eto’o said. ‘I’m going to pay but I’ve always done what my father told me I had to do’.

Eto’o was 25 years old at the start of the offence and was midway through his spell at the Nou Camp.

Daily Mail reported that the prosecution asked for sentences of four years and six months for Eto’o and Mesalles, before the former was given 22 months and the latter one year. As neither have previous criminal records, they will not serve time in Prison.

It should be noted that the four-time African player of the year will pay an additional sum of £1.56 million in fines and Mesalles will pay £776,000.

Source: Daily Mail