Baku, March 28, AZERTAC
The Public Prosecutor's Office is requesting a sentence of two and a half years in prison for the former president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) Luis Rubiales for the crimes of sexual assault and coercion in the case of the non-consensual kiss he gave to Jenni Hermoso after the World Cup final in Sydney on August 20, according to Marca.
The Public Prosecutor's Office has submitted its brief of provisional conclusions to the National Court, in which it requests a sentence of one and a half years in prison for the crime of coercion for the former coach of the women's national team, Jorge Vilda; the head of marketing of the RFEF, Rubén Rivera, and the sporting director of the men's national team, Albert Luque.
In addition to the prison sentence, the prosecutor is asking for Rubiales to be disqualified from working in sport during the time of his sentence, two years of probation and a ban on communicating with the player and coming within 200 metres of her for four years.
It also wants him to compensate the international player with 50,000 euros; the same amount that is being asked for the other three defendants, although in his case, jointly and severally.
This case, which has been investigated by a judge of the Audiencia Nacional, takes place outside the investigation into various contracts in the RFEF, such as the transfer of the Super Cup to Saudi Arabia, in which Rubiales is also under investigation in a court in Majadahonda (Madrid).
The indictment of the deputy prosecutor of the Audiencia, Marta Durántez, describes Rubiales' conduct as "surprising and without consent or acceptance" of Jenni Hermoso when, during the World Cup medal ceremony, he "held her head" with both hands and "gave her a kiss on the lips".
An action that triggered a wave of protests and which, apart from criminal proceedings, led to Rubiales being disqualified by FIFA for three years.
It happened on August 20, at the Australia Stadium in Sydney, after the victory of the women's national team in the World Cup, when Jenni Hermoso, who had just received her medal at the awards ceremony, received the ceremonial greeting and congratulations from the then president of the Federation, at which point he kissed her on the lips without her consent, according to the Public Prosecutor's Office.
The prosecution also accuses Rubiales of "constantly" and repeatedly pressuring the footballer and her entourage to "justify and approve" the kiss he gave her "against her will" in view of "the personal and professional consequences" he could face.
A "situation of harassment" for which she also blames the other three defendants, "trusted people" of Rubiales who took up their positions "under his mandate" and whose "privileged situation in the RFEF" depended on the "fate" of Rubiales. According to the prosecutor, the pressure began when she exited the locker room, still in full celebration, when Rubiales "urged" Jenni Hermoso to declare publicly that the kiss was consensual.
They continued on the bus, where "she was forced to get off" to sign a statement drafted by the RFEF "by order" of Rubiales, whose "content she did not share" and which was sent to the media, and also on the flight to Spain, where the former president of the federation again asked her to make a joint statement with him, which she again refused to do.
The situation of harassment, says the prosecutor, ceased when Rubiales was provisionally suspended by FIFA on August 26. A few days later, on September 10, and after previously assuring that he would not resign, he ended up stepping down.