A Spanish High Court prosecutor is looking for a 2-1/2-year jail sentence for former soccer federation chief Luis Rubiales as a consequence of an unsolicited kiss he gave participant Jenni Hermoso, in response to a court docket doc reviewed by Reuters on Wednesday.
Prosecutor Marta Durantez has charged Rubiales with one depend of sexual assault and one depend of coercion for his alleged actions following the kiss. These offenses carry jail phrases of 1 12 months and 18 months, respectively.
The incident occurred on Aug. 20 of final 12 months in the course of the awards ceremony after Spain’s victory within the ladies’s World Cup in Sydney. Rubiales, 46, grabbed Hermoso and kissed her on the lips, sparking international headlines and igniting a nationwide debate in Spain about sexism.
Hermoso and her teammates stated the kiss was undesirable and demeaning, however Rubiales argued it was consensual and denied any wrongdoing.
The prosecutor additionally accused the previous coach of the ladies’s nationwide staff, Jorge Vilda, the present sporting director of the Spanish Federation (RFEF), Albert Luque, and the RFEF’s advertising and marketing chief, Ruben Rivera, of coercing Hermoso into saying the kiss was consensual.
The indictment stated the three officers harassed Hermoso by exerting “constant and repeated acts of pressure” immediately on the participant and thru her family and friends. They every face 18 months behind bars as effectively.
All three denied wrongdoing after they appeared earlier than the court docket.
Durantez additionally stated Rubiales ought to pay 50,000 euros ($54,080) in damages to Hermoso, with one other 50,000 euros to be collectively paid by Rubiales, Vilda, Luque and Rivera.
In addition, she requested a restraining order barring Rubiales from coming inside 200 meters of Hermoso and from speaking along with her for the subsequent seven-and-a-half years.
If convicted and sentenced as requested by the prosecutor, Rubiales wouldn’t essentially should go to jail. Spain’s legal code permits judges to “exceptionally” droop jail phrases if – as on this case – not one of the sentences imposed individually exceeds two years.
Rubiales has been named in a separate corruption probe that shook the RFEF final week. Police searched the federation’s headquarters and an house belonging to Rubiales and arrested seven individuals.
A Spanish court docket has been investigating since June 2022 if Rubiales dedicated a criminal offense of improper administration when the RFEF agreed with former Barcelona participant Gerard Pique’s Kosmos agency to maneuver the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia, a judicial supply informed Reuters then.
Rubiales, who was within the Dominican Republic throughout final week’s searches, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and informed El Espanol newspaper he would cooperate with the investigation.
A court docket supply stated his legal professionals informed the choose he would return from the Dominican Republic on April 6.
Source: www.dailysabah.com