The wife of legendary Scottish actor Sean Connery has been charged with participating in a fraudulent property tax scheme by the Spanish state, according to new reports.
French-born Michelle Roquebrune, 85, potentially faces two and a half years imprisonment and a fine of more than £16 million if found guilty.
An indictment released to the public by the state prosecutor in Marbella shows that Roquebrune has been accused of taking part taking part in a scheme that had the intention of defrauding the Spanish treasury of millions of euros.
Michelle Roquebrune and Sean Connery pictured in 2010
An investigation had uncovered irregularities surrounding the sale of the couple’s property in the Costa Del Sol region for £5.6 million in 1999. The mansion they owned, called Casa Malibu, was renovated and developed for 73 luxury flats after the sale, though authorities had only granted permission for five family homes to be built.
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The same investigators had already cleared Connery himself, now 86 years old, of any wrongdoing at the start of this year in an operation they dubbed ‘Goldfinger’ – the title of Connery’s 1964 James Bond movie.
The prosecution’s case alleges that Roquebrune, a former artist, had connections to a Spanish company involved in the scheme, and that together they collaborated to fabricate a number of ‘fictitious legal transactions’ to explain away the profits related to the sale.
A letter is now being sent to the Bahamas, where she and Connery now reside, informing her of the court’s decision and to appoint a defence lawyer. The trial will take place in Malaga at an as-yet-undetermined date next year, and Roquebrune is one of 17 defendants in total who are being tried on related charges, including tax fraud and bribery.
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