Buenos Aires, Oct 4 (EFE; additional reporting by The Costa Rica Star).- Matias Messi, brother of Barcelona striker Lionel Messi, faces arms charges in Argentina, the Cadena 3 news website reported.

Matias Messi refused to allow police to search his Audi A5 and would not show them the vehicle’s documents during a traffic stop on Saturday in the southern city of Rosario, Cadena 3 said.

Officers finally searched the automobile and found a .22-caliber pistol for which Messi did not have a permit and took him to police precinct 16 in Rosario.

The brother of the Barcelona star spent four hours at the precinct before being released.

Matias Messi was involved in a similar incident in October 2008, when he was arrested in Rosario for carrying a handgun in the waistband of his pants. EFE

Father of Lionel Messi Could Face 18 Months in Prison

The Third Tribunal in Gava, Barcelona, recently listened to a motion by prosecutors to dismiss charges against Lionel Messi for tax fraud in excess of 4 million euros. The football star’s father, Jorge Horacio Messi, has accepted all responsibility in the case.

The motion by prosecutors to absolve the striker comes after him and his father both deposited 5 million euros in court, which represent outstanding taxes plus interest.

At previous court hearings, the Tribunal decided to continue the criminal process against the footballer and his father, but prosecutors later stated that the FC Barcelona star was not implicit in the fraud; instead, prosecutors state, the son blindly trusted his father.

Messi’s father now stands accused of three counts of fraud against the revenue and treasury authority of Barcelona, a situation that may lead to an 18-month prison sentence plus a fine of 2 million euros. The investigation dates back to 2005, and it alleges a sophisticated scheme that involved transferring money to offshore financial havens.