BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Luis Rubiales, the former president of Spain’s soccer federation, denied any wrongdoing Monday when he was questioned by an investigating judge as part of her probe into alleged corruption related to staging the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.
After hearing his testimony, the judge ordered Rubiales to appear once a month in person at the courthouse and to ask the court for permission if he wants to leave the country.
“I am convinced that justice will be served,” Rubiales told reporters after four hours inside the Madrid court. “Never was any money exchanging hands in an irregular manner.”
Rubiales stepped down as president of the federation in September after causing an international scandal for kissing Spain player Jenni Hermoso without her consent at the Women’s World Cup final. He is facing a separate trial over that incident after being accused of sexual assault but has also denied any wrongdoing in that case.
In the case related to the Super Cup, Rubiales was arrested earlier this month on his return from the Dominican Republic but was quickly released while remaining under investigation.
During his time as president of Spanish soccer, Rubiales overhauled the format of the Spanish Super Cup in 2020, creating a four-team mini tournament and moving the competition to Saudi Arabia as part of a deal that was reportedly worth 40 million euros (then $42 million) per tournament for the federation.
Prosecutors opened a probe of that deal in 2022 following leaked audio between Rubiales and then-Barcelona player Gerard Piqué regarding millions of dollars in commissions.
The probe is investigating other officials and workers at the federation, including Rubiales successor, Pedro Rocha.
The judge issued an order to freeze assets in a bank account belonging to a company owned by Piqué. Piqué is not under official investigation.
Spain's governmental sports authority said last week that it was stepping in to supervise the federation to protect the reputation of Spanish soccer. Spain is set to co-host the 2030 men's World Cup with Portugal and Morocco.
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The former president of Spain's soccer federation Luis Rubiales arrives at the National Court in Madrid, Spain, Monday, April. 29, 2024. Rubiales will testify on Monday as a defendant for alleged corruption during his time at the head of the organization. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
The former president of Spain's soccer federation Luis Rubiales arrives at the National Court in Madrid, Spain, Monday, April. 29, 2024. Rubiales will testify on Monday as a defendant for alleged corruption during his time at the head of the organization. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
The former president of Spain's soccer federation Luis Rubiales arrives at the National Court in Madrid, Spain, Monday, April. 29, 2024. Rubiales will testify on Monday as a defendant for alleged corruption during his time at the head of the organization. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
BANSKA BYSTRICA, Slovakia (AP) — Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico is in stable but serious condition on Thursday after being shot multiple times in an assassination attempt a day earlier, a hospital official said.
Doctors are continuing to treat Fico in an attempt to improve his condition, Defense Minister Robert Kalinak told reporters outside the hospital in Banska Bystrica.
The government says five shots were fired at Fico on Wednesday outside a cultural center where he was meeting with supporters.
A suspect was in custody, and an initial investigation found “a clear political motivation” behind the assassination attempt, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said Wednesday.
Fico has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia and beyond, but his return to power last year on a pro-Russian, anti-American message led to even greater worries among fellow European Union members that he would lead his country further from the Western mainstream.
Police cars are parked outside the F. D. Roosevelt University Hospital, where Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot and injured, is treated in Banska Bystrica, central Slovakia, Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is in life-threatening condition after being wounded in a shooting after a political event Wednesday afternoon, according to his Facebook profile.(AP Photo/Denes Erdos)
A police line is placed outside the entrance of the F. D. Roosevelt University Hospital, where Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot and injured, is treated in Banska Bystrica, central Slovakia, Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is in life-threatening condition after being wounded in a shooting after a political event Wednesday afternoon, according to his Facebook profile.(AP Photo/Denes Erdos)
Slovakia's prime minister was attacked by an armed assailant and hospitalized Wednesday. (AP Graphic)
Rescue workers wheel Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot and injured, to a hospital in the town of Banska Bystrica, central Slovakia, Wednesday, May 15, 2024. (Jan Kroslak/TASR via AP)
Police arrest a man after Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot and injured following the cabinet's away-from-home session in the town of Handlova, Slovakia, Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Fico is in life-threatening condition after being wounded in a shooting Wednesday afternoon, according to his Facebook profile. (Radovan Stoklasa/TASR via AP)
Rescue workers wheel Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot and injured, to a hospital in the town of Banska Bystrica, central Slovakia, Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico is in life-threatening condition after being wounded in a shooting Wednesday afternoon, according to his Facebook profile. (Jan Kroslak/TASR via AP)
Rescue workers take Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot and injured, to a hospital in the town of Banska Bystrica, central Slovakia, Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico is in life-threatening condition after being wounded in a shooting Wednesday afternoon, according to his Facebook profile. (Jan Kroslak/TASR via AP)
FILE - Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico arrives to a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. Media reports say on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 that Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico was injured in a shooting and taken to hospital. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, File)
Rescue workers wheel Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot and injured, to a hospital in the town of Banska Bystrica, central Slovakia, Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Slovakia's populist Prime Minister Robert Fico is in life-threatening condition after being wounded in a shooting Wednesday afternoon, according to his Facebook profile. (Jan Kroslak/TASR via AP)
Police arrest a man after Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot and injured following the cabinet's away-from-home session in the town of Handlova, Slovakia, Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Fico is in life-threatening condition after being wounded in a shooting Wednesday afternoon, according to his Facebook profile. (Radovan Stoklasa/TASR via AP)
