Scottish actor, Sir Sean Connery, passed away on Oct. 31, 2020 at the age 90 in the Bahamas,
according to BBC. His death brought waves of reactions and an outpouring of sympathy
from all over the world.
The actor, who was reportedly ill for some time before passing, is survived by his wife,
his brother, and his two sons.
The actor was first married to actress Diane Cilento, but they divorced in 1973. Connery
went on to marry artist Micheline Rocquebrune, and they remained together until his death.
Unfortunately, according to the New York Post, Roquebrune is facing allegations of tax fraud
that are so serious she could wind up behind bars. So in the midst of her grieving, she's
dealing with this stress as well. Here's the full scoop.
Following the death of her husband, Sir Sean Connery's widow, Micheline Roquebrune, is
facing allegations of tax fraud, according to the New York Post. The fraud centers around
an alleged property development scam that involved the sale of the couple's former home
in Marbella, Spain. Roquebrune has denied any wrongdoing or involvement in the development
scheme.
According to The Sun, Roquebrune and Connery's Marbella home was sold in 1999 and was demolished
in order to build 70 apartments. But housing rules only allowed for five units to be built
on the property — not 70.
According to The Sun, the property development scam has already landed Connery's lawyers,
the mayor of Marbella, and six of the mayor's councillors in jail.
In 2014, Connery was informed that he wouldn't have to face trial for what happened, but
now, Spanish authorities are claiming that the case isn't over. Roquebrune is looking
at close to $28 million in fines and even jail time, according to the New York Post.
The Sun was told by a source:
"Formal requests have been sent twice to the Bahamas to notify Micheline about the prosecution
indictment and the court-ordered trial against her, but Spanish officials have yet to receive
a reply."
However, per the Post, Roquebrune claims that the allegations of tax fraud are, quote, "nonsense."
Spanish officials called the case "Operation Goldfinger," a play on Connery's role as James
Bond.
"I think you've made your point, Goldfinger. Thank you for the demonstration."
According to The Guardian, an indictment claimed that Roquebrune took part in tax fraud after
details showed irregularities surrounding the sale of their Marbella home. According
to that outlet, quote, "prosecutors allege that Roquebrune conspired with lawyers and
businessmen to hide profits from the sale."
The alleged plot, according to Forbes, charges Roquebrune with defrauding the treasury of
Spain of millions of dollars' worth of taxes.
The other big part of the case involves what was built on the property following the sale.
The Guardian states that more than 70 luxury units were built in the location when the
building laws permitted significantly fewer living spaces. Not only that, but the profit
from building the apartments came to roughly $62 million in U.S. dollars.
From the start, however, Roquebrune has denied any fraudulent behavior. The Economic Times
cites her saying in an earlier interview:
"These allegations of money-laundering are nonsense. We sold the property and that is
it."
Interestingly, though Connery and Roquebrune were married at the time of the property's
sale, the Scottish actor was cleared from the case years ago.
In response to an international arrest warrant, Connery supplied the Spanish courts with a
56-page affidavit. As Forbes noted, Connery's affidavit arrived two and a half years after
it was requested and over three years after Connery and his wife failed to appear in court.
The investigating magistrate, Alfredo Mondeja, was less than impressed with the delay and
said of the situation:
"Although the delays may have harmed the progress of the case, it's also true that if the suspects
had observed the proper rules of conduct, namely a minimum level of cooperation with
the judicial authorities, the fate of those suspects would have been clarified more than
two years ago."
Despite the ongoing nature of the case, Roquebrune continues to say it's nothing more than, quote,
"nonsense."
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