THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MIAMI — Helio Castroneves’ father says he was the one who set up a Panamanian company that prosecutors contend was used to dodge taxes.
Establishing who controlled Seven Promotions is a key issue in the driver’s Miami tax evasion trial. Prosecutors say Castroneves secretly ran the company involved in managing his income and is therefore liable for more taxes than he paid.
But Helio Castroneves Sr. testified Friday that he set up Seven Promotions. Defence lawyers have said that because the father set up the company, the driver was paying the proper amount in taxes.
The defence is expected to rest Monday in the five-week-old trial. Castroneves, a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and “Dancing With The Stars” champ, faces more than six years in prison if convicted.