A scene worthy of a movie. Former Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales was questioned by police as part of a corruption investigation after arriving at Madrid-Barajas airport on Wednesday before being released.
This investigation is separate from the so-called “forced kiss” affair, which was given to international Jenni Hermoso without her consent after the victory over Swarm in the World Cup final on August 20 in Sydney.
Expected by hundreds of journalists
Luis Rubiales (46) arrived in Madrid-Barajas in the morning aboard a commercial flight from the Dominican Republic and got off the plane accompanied by a police officer. He was then taken aboard a van to the premises of the Civil Guard (the equivalent of the gendarmerie in France) at the airport. He was interviewed and briefed on his charges before being released, sources close to the investigation have learned.
Luis Rubiales, whose every move has been followed by the Spanish press since the “forced kiss” scandal, did not leave the airport through the main exit, where hundreds of journalists were waiting for him.
Following the scandal caused by the kiss imposed on Jenni Hermoso, the former head of Spanish football resigned as president of the Federation (RFEF) in September and was subsequently suspended by the International Federation (FIFA).
He was also charged with sexual assault in that case. The date of the trial is not yet known, but the prosecution has announced that it will seek a prison sentence of two and a half years for the former Spanish football strongman.
Irregularities in contracts signed by federations
Another legal case in which he figures and which led to his questioning on Wednesday concerns irregularities in contracts signed by the RFEF over the past five years, particularly the terms under which the Spanish Super Cup was moved to Saudi Arabia. Luis Rubiales is accused of “money laundering, commercial corruption, maladministration and membership of a criminal organization” in this investigation, which led to a search of the RFEF headquarters on March 20 and the arrest of seven people who were released.
His home near Granada (southern Spain) was also searched that day. Luis Rubiales was in the Dominican Republic “on business” at the time. He originally planned to return to Spain on April 6, but staged his return to defend himself in the case.
In an interview with the channel La Sexta, which will be broadcast on Wednesday evening, some excerpts of which have been sent to the press, he says that his home in the Dominican Republic was also the subject of a search earlier in the week. He also states that he has never received a “bribe” and that his money “is the fruit of (his) work and (his) savings”.