Charity fund of Lionel Messi, footballer of Argentina's national team and Barcelona, is suspected of financial fraud and tax evasion.

Axar.az informs citing El Confidencial that the case is now being considered at one of the courts in Buenos Aires. According to the allegation, the judge received a complaint and determined a preliminary investigation into the tax evasion case.

Reports say that Messi's image was used to attract money from various individuals and companies, and the collected amount was transferred to offshore accounts in different countries around the world. Illegal activity occurred in Spain and Argentina in 2012-2014.

The main sponsors of the fund are known as giants such as Adidas and Unicef. Nearly $ 2 million was donated in 2017 alone.

Notably, earlier Messi was charged with tax evasion as well. The 31-year-old forward paid fine in the amount of 250,000 euros and escaped imprisonment.