PARIS — Banned UEFA president Michel Platini’s Panamanian bank account was declared to the authorities in Switzerland, where he lives, his lawyer said in an interview published by French newspaper Le Figaro Tuesday.
“Holding bank accounts through companies is not illegal as long as they are declared, which was the case here,” the lawyer was cited as saying.
The interview came a day after the “Panama Papers” documents leaked from a Panamanian law firm triggered investigations into possible financial wrongdoing by politicians and other high-profile figures around the world.
European socccer boss and former French international Platini is appealing
against a six-year ban from taking part in international football activity.
The ban is related to a payment of 2 million Swiss francs ($2.09 million) made to the Frenchman in 2011 and was imposed by world soccer’s governing body, FIFA.
‘Messi clean’
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi’s family has denied Spanish media reports that arose following the leak of the ‘Panama papers’ that said he was involved in a tax evasion scheme.
While holding money in offshore companies is not illegal, Messi, 28, was Sunday accused by Spanish newspaper El Confidencial of creating a company with the aim of evading tax.
Reuters could not independently confirm this.
His family issued a statement Monday denying allegations it said were published by various media organizations that Messi had created a corporate structure aimed at “setting up a tax fraud network.”
It added: “The Messi family wish to make it clear Lionel Messi has not carried out any of the acts of which he is accused in the stories and that the allegations of him having designed a tax evasion project are false and injurious, as are those relating to the creation of a money laundering network.
“The Panamanian company referred to in said reports is a completely inactive company, which has never had any capital or active current accounts, and which dates from the old corporate structure set up by the Messi family’s previous financial advisors, with the tax implications for Lionel Messi having been settled at the time.
“In light of the above the Messi family has instructed their current legal team ... to look into the prospect of bringing legal action against the media organizations who published the story.” Reuters could not immediately reach Messi’s lawyers.
