VOA慢速英语2016 足球巨星梅西因逃税获刑21个月（在线收听）

AS IT IS 2016-07-07 Lionel Messi Receives 21-Month Prison Sentence 足球巨星梅西因逃税获刑21个月

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Lionel Messi is known for escaping defenders on the soccer field.

梅西在足球场上以躲闪后卫而闻名。

But he was not able to escape a conviction for tax fraud in Spain this week.

然而，本周他却没能躲开西班牙逃税的罪名。

A court in Barcelona, Spain, sentenced the Argentinian soccer star to 21 months in prison on Wednesday.

周三，西班牙巴塞罗那一家法院判处这名阿根廷足球明星21个月监禁。

Messi plays for Barcelona’s soccer team during the club season. He is the five-time winner of FIFA’s player of the year award.

梅西在俱乐部赛季中效力巴塞罗那足球队。他曾五次获得国际足联年度最佳球员荣誉（金球奖）。

Investigators in Spain said they found evidence that Messi and his father, Jorge, hid money that should have been taxed by the Spanish government. The younger Messi earned the money from 2007 to 2009.

西班牙调查人员称，发现梅西及其父亲豪尔赫隐藏了本该向西班牙政府纳税的收入证明。在2007至2009年间，梅西获得了这笔收入。

Tax inspectors said over $4 million of Messi’s money went to accounts in Uruguay, Switzerland and Belize.

税务稽查人员表示，梅西将名下超400万美元的收入汇往乌拉圭、瑞士和伯利兹的公司账户。

Messi was fined over $2 million. His father was fined about $1.5 million. Jorge Messi was also sentenced to 21 months.

梅西因此被罚款200多万美元。他的父亲被罚款约150万美元。其父豪尔赫也被判处21个月监禁。

Neither man, however, is expected to spend any time in prison. In Spain, first offenses carrying sentences of less than two years are usually suspended.

但是预计二人都不必入狱服刑。根据西班牙法律，初犯且被判处低于2年刑期的通常会缓期执行。

Both Messis told the court they did not think they were breaking any laws.

梅西父子在法庭上表示，他们不认为自己违反了法律。

The news about Messi was one of the top trending topics around the world on Facebook and Twitter on Wednesday. People made their feelings clear about Messi’s actions.

周三，关于梅西的新闻在Facebook和Twitter上成为了全球的超级热门话题之一。针对梅西逃税行为，人们发表了自己的看法。

Zaheed Sabur used Facebook to say: “you already have more than you can ever spend. Shame on you Leo Messi!”

Zaheed Sabur在Facebook上发文，“你已经赚到了一辈子都花不完的钱（还逃税），梅西真替你感到丢人！”

And, many people questioned why Messi could not pay his taxes like everyone else.

而且很多人质疑梅西为什么就不能像普通人那样合法纳税呢。

Words in This Story

offense – n. a criminal act

club – n. a sports team or organization

conviction – n. the act of proving that a person is guilty of a crime in a court of law

fraud – n. the crime of using dishonest methods to take something valuable from another person