Origi, son of former Harambee Stars striker Mike Okoth is among players being investigated by Belgium tax authorities for operating off-shore accounts
Divock Origi is among top European players who have been named for allegedly evading tax in Belgium.
According to Sport24, Origi, son of former Harambee Stars goalkeeper turned striker Mike Okoth and who has been loaned to French side Lille, is among players being investigated by Belgium tax authorities for operating an off-shore account in Luxembourg.
Others being investigated are English Premier League stars Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois and Kevin Mirallas, according to media reports in that country.
The Flemish daily, Morgen newspaper, said the Belgian internationals have Luxembourg based companies they use to transfer money. Luxembourg taxes are considerably lower than in Belgium.
Hazard and Courtois are team-mates at Chelsea while Mirallas turns out for Everton. Such practices are legal if the players can “prove that the company is run from Luxembourg, which is naturally difficult (to prove)”, according to an expert quoted by De Morgen who added that the players involved risk penalties.
Last November the ‘Lux Leaks’ scandal revealed secret structures used by international clients, including major multinationals, to avoid taxes with tax avoidance schemes in Luxembourg. Origi turned out for Belgium in 2014 World Cup ending any dream of playing for Kenya’s Harambee Stars.
