Former World No. 1 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario breaks down during trial amid charges of defrauding Bank of Luxembourg, Prosecutor’s office gives its verdict
Arantxa Vicario's was charged with fraud in 2009.
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Arantxa Vicario (Credits: Imago)
Former tennis professional Arantxa Sanchez Vicario became the first Spanish player to soar to the top of the WTA rankings. The former World No.1 has 14 Grand Slams to her name, which includes four singles majors. She has three French Open titles to her name and has won the US Open once. She called it a career in 2002. Seven years later, Vicario was convicted of defrauding ‘Banque de Luxembourg.’
The 51-year-old is accused of hiding her assets to avoid a debt of $8.14 Million along with her ex-husband, Josep Santacana. She began her fraud trial in Barcelona recently. Vicario claimed that she put all her trust in her ex-husband and was unaware of any illegal activities happening behind her back.
During her trial, Arantxa broke down in tears, claiming that she trusted her ex-husband to manage the assets. “I did what he told me to do, because I am a tennis player, I have no knowledge of assets or companies or anything. I trusted my husband,” the 51-year-old told the jury. The two are allegedly accused of executing a plan to avoid paying a debt to the Bank of Luxembourg.
Vicario and Santacana ended their relationship in 2019 and may potentially face fraud convictions if found guilty by the criminal court. They’ll likely be sentenced to serve some years behind bars and will be liable to return millions in damages.
Arantxa Vicario’s prison sentence cut short
The Prosecutor’s Office has decided to reduce Vicario’s sentence from the initially mandated four years to just two years.
The Prosecutor’s Office arrived at this decision to reduce the sentence during the fourth session of the trial held this Friday at Criminal Court 25. Additionally, the Bank of Luxembourg, which is the private prosecutor in this case, has also requested a reduction in the prison sentence to two years. Originally, Vicario was facing a four-year prison term if found guilty.
In addition to the prison sentence, Sanchez Vicario must give half of her income to the Bank of Luxembourg, and she has paid nearly 2 million euros so far.
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Eeshita Dev
(231 Articles Published)