Joe Duggan (Reporter)
SEAN Connery’s wife Micheline Roquebrune has been charged with avoiding millions of euros in Spanish property tax.
The charge relates to the 1998 sale of the couple’s €6.4 million Marbella property.
If convicted the 86-year-old Roquebrune faces up to two and a half years in prison and a €16 million fine.
Connery has already been cleared in the case, which authorities have named ‘Operation Goldfinger’.
It is alleged that Roquebrune conspired with lawyer to hide profits from the sale of the house, which was named Malibu.
The sale of the property and subsequent sale of 73 flats built in its place allegedly raised €53 million.
Local authorities had allegedly only given permission for five houses to be built
Among sixteen other defendants appearing in court on related charges are former Marbella mayor Julián Muñoz and and Juan Antonio Roca, Marbella’s former chief planner.
I thought that pensioners of 70 and above were considered ineligible for custodial sentences in Spain – or did I misunderstand this?
So Marbella authorities did’nt notice that 73 apartments were being built instead of 5 houses – just a normal event in Spain.
Now here is a situation that cries out for the bulldozer. For sure, no jail-time will be on the cards, let’s face it, mummy Connery won’t be dubbed up for this.