MADRID.- A Court of Appeal in Spain confirmed on Wednesday the sentence for sexual aggression against the former head of Spanish football Luis Rubiales for kissing without her consent to the player Beautiful Jenniwhich forces him to pay a fine of 10,800 euros.
The Criminal Chamber of the National Court considered the qualification “of the Court of First Instance to qualify the facts as” sexual assault “, since the former president of the Spanish Football Federation” was proven without consent to Hermoso, “he said in a statement.
The once strong man of Spanish football, 47, had appealed the sentence that was originally imposed in February, claiming that his kiss did not have “sexual connotation of any class”, an indispensable condition for there to be a crime of sexual aggression.
But the National Court remarked that “it cannot be said that a kiss in those circumstances were frequent or usual or usual,” and that the “kiss on the lips in those circumstances reflects a clear sexual connotation.”
The events occurred on August 20, 2023 during the medal delivery ceremony after Spain was proclaimed world champion in Sydney, when Rubiales planted a kiss on the player’s mouth, unleashing a world scandal that ended up costing him the position.
But the Court of Appeals also dismissed the appeal of Hermoso, attacker of the Tigers of Mexico, 35, who had requested that the acquittal of Rubiales and three other people of the crime of coercion be reversed, for the alleged pressures to the player to take importance to the kiss publicly.
The National Court explained that “it cannot review an absolute pronouncement except when causes of nullity, which do not occur in this case.”
There will be no other judgment
He also rejected an appeal from the Prosecutor’s Office, which had requested a new trial by considering that the magistrate showed partiality, preventing numerous questions and ignoring evidence in his sentence.
In this way, the Court of Appeal confirmed the conviction against Rubiales, which imposes the fine of 10,800 euros ($ 12,500) and the prohibition of approaching or contacting the victim for a year.
The trial of Rubiales and his close surroundings became a symbol in the fight against sexism in Spanish sport and gave rise to the #Seacabó label.
Rubiales is also judicially investigated for alleged corruption and irregular contracts during his presidency of the Federation, particularly for the agreement led by the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia.
