The former president of the Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, was arrested by the Civil Guard, who picked him up upon arrival at Barajas airport from the Dominican Republic. We learn this from security sources cited by TVe. He was welcomed upon disembarkation by agents of the Central Operational Unit of the Civil Guard, who informed him of the charges against him.
Rubiales got with the agents on board a van headed to the Majadahonda court (Madrid), where he could give statements today before the investigating judge of the investigation into the contracts closed by the Football Federation in the last 5 years, during his presidency, which sees himself investigated for alleged corruption, unfair management and money laundering.
Subsequently, law enforcement sources said that the former president of the Spanish Football Federation is being interrogated in police custody by
UCO officers, who can detain him for a maximum of 72 hours. The arrest of Luis Rubiales would not have taken place by order of the investigating judge of the Majadahonda Court, who coordinates the investigation into the alleged corruption in contracts closed by the RFEF in the last 5 years, and who will summon the suspect for questioning in the next few days .
Uco agents had searched Luis Rubales' house in Cordoba (Andalusia) last week, seizing a large amount of documentation and on Monday they also searched his residence in the Dominican Republic, where they seized his mobile phones and a tablet .
In an exclusive interview with Spanish TV La Sexta in Santo Domingo, which will air this evening, Rubiales said that "I am here to say that it is false that I took bribes on apartments here in Santo Domingo. It is false that I did a building speculation in Cape Verde. It is false that I have land for construction in Saudi Arabia. The money in my accounts is the result of my work."
Rubiales has spent the last few weeks in the Central American country, before bringing forward his return to Madrid to today, to appear before the investigating judge of the investigation into the alleged irregular contracts of the Spanish Football Federation in the last five years.
On the other hand, a meeting of the Management Commission of the Spanish Football Federation is scheduled today to call elections for the renewal of the presidency, held on an interim basis by Pedro Rocha following the forced resignation of Rubiales.
New revelations about rigged tenders
New revelations in the investigation into contracts awarded by the Spanish Football Federation in the last 5 years, during the management of former president Rubiales.
A 1.3 million euro contract for the renovation works of the Football City Hotel in Las Rozas (Madrid), home of the national team's training camp, was reportedly signed between the head of the company that won the works, Angel Gonzalez Segura, and an architect under investigation. All on the indications of the head of Human Resources of the Football Federation, José Javier Jimenez, according to what emerges from the telephone interceptions carried out by the Civil Guard (Uco), as reported today by the Cadena Ser radio.
In the conversation with the architect, Gonzales Segura states that "there is a need for two more companies". However, he adds: "we have not submitted in previous tenders because we will have to submit three offers: ours and two others", so that the alleged rigged tender appears "disguised". According to the investigators, the conversation reveals that it was not the first time that the contracted company presented "fictitious estimates" to win the works.
Meanwhile, after the search carried out yesterday by Spanish agents together with the Dominican police in Rubiales' residence in Santo Domingo, the former president of the Football Federation investigated for alleged corruption, money laundering and unfair administration, has decided to bring forward his return to Spain.
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