TEMPO.CO, Montevideo – Uruguayan footballer Diego Forlan has denied evading taxes by hiding his money in Swiss accounts with the British bank HSBC Holdings PLC.
Forlan was among rock stars, Hollywood actors, royal family members and arms dealers mentioned by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) as having been helped by HSBC to evade taxes and conceal millions of dollars of their assets.
The ICIJ said Forlan had become an HSBC client in 2006 while playing in Spain for Villarreal. The report also stated that Forlan possessed two accounts linking to four other bank accounts worth US$ 1.4 million in 2006-07.
"I want to make clear that my finances are and have always been in order, in a way that complies with all the tax jurisdictions of the different place in which I have worked, lived and have assets," Forlan said in a statement on his website www.diegoforlan.com.
Having a Swiss bank account is not illegal and many have done it for legitimate purposes, however, in late Sunday, HSBC admit in control failures.
The HSBC client data were supplied by Herve Falciani, a former IT employee of HSBC's Swiss private bank, HSBC said. HSBC added Falciani had downloaded details of accounts and clients at the end of 2006 and early 2007.
The French authorities have received data on thousands of its clients and shared them with tax authorities throughout the world, including Argentina.
Forlan's name was one of 61 names disclosed by the ICIJ. However, the former Manchester United and Atletico Madrid player accused ICIJ of seeking sensation.
"I am not part of this alleged investigation ... my name was simply used as a 'hook'," Forlan said.
ANTARA
