Tax case

On Wednesday the District Court dismissed all charges against a second group of 19 ministers from the church.

The Ministry of Customs and Revenue asked the court for the charges to be withdrawn because of a lack of evidence.

Last month the court dismissed charges against the first group of 20 ministers.

Church General Secretary, Reverend Vavatau Taufao, says the result is good news.

Messi was given the jail term last July after being found guilty – alongside his father Jorge – of three counts of tax fraud.

It was ruled he had defrauded Spain of €4.1million between 2007 and 2009, relating to earnings from image rights.

Court documents on Wednesday show the 29-year-old has lost his appeal to the Supreme Court, with the sentence issued by a Catalan court being confirmed.