Luis Rubiales, the former Spanish soccer head who was forced out after kissing a female player against her will, is facing new legal troubles. The Spanish police have been given permission to arrest him as part of an investigation into accusations of corruption and money laundering.
The Spanish civil guard carried out a series of raids, including searches at the headquarters of the Spanish soccer federation and at a home owned by Mr. Rubiales. The public prosecutor’s office in Madrid said 11 homes and other buildings were searched as part of an investigation into alleged criminal acts associated with corruption in business, unfair administration, and money laundering.
Seven people were arrested on Tuesday, but Mr. Rubiales was not among them. He was in the Dominican Republic but is expected to return to Spain on April 6. Spain’s civil guard has been authorized to arrest him upon arrival in Spain if necessary.
Mr. Rubiales’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Investigators are looking into contracts related to the federation’s sale of lucrative rights to a prominent soccer tournament, the Spanish Super Cup, to Saudi Arabia in a deal brokered by Gerard Piqué.
Mr. Rubiales is also under investigation on allegations of hiring detectives to spy on the head of Spain’s players’ union; misusing federation funds to pay for personal expenses; and hosting a sex party, paid for with federation funds, in Granada in 2020 — all claims that emerged after official complaints were made to prosecutors.
Mr. Rubiales, once one of the most powerful men in world soccer, saw his career collapse in the wake of his actions after Spain’s triumph at the Women’s World Cup final in Australia last year. In front of tens of thousands of fans in Sydney’s Stadium Australia and millions more watching on television, Rubiales planted an unwanted kiss on the mouth of the Spain midfielder Jennifer Hermoso on the medals stand.
The episode resulted in an outcry in Spain and beyond, and a criminal complaint filed by Ms. Hermoso weeks after the tournament. That complaint allowed the Spanish authorities to open a case against Mr. Rubiales, and in January she testified at a hearing to determine if he would be charged with sexual assault and coercion.
In January, a judge found enough evidence of wrongdoing to recommend that Mr. Rubiales face trial over the kiss and the subsequent coercion of Ms. Hermoso. If found guilty of sexual assault, he could be punished with one to four years in prison.
Mr. Rubiales, who had initially — and defiantly — refused to surrender his position as the head of Spain’s federation amid the furor over the kiss, eventually resigned after he was provisionally…
2024-03-21 20:10:37
Article from www.nytimes.com