Sean Connery’s wife, Micheline Roquebrune, has been ordered to stand trial in Spain for her alleged part in a multi-million-euro fraud, according to judicial authorities.
AFP reports that the Roquebrune, the wife of the 85-year-old Scottish film star best known for his portrayal of James Bond, and could face up to two years in jail and a fine of upwards of $24.4 million if found guilty of involvement in an alleged operation that defrauded the state, according to the Supreme Court of the southern region of Andalucia.
Sean Connery's wife faces two years in jail if convicted of £5m tax fraud https://t.co/Rz5RdWXVZs pic.twitter.com/7vOqPyTAZD
— The Sun (@TheSun) November 27, 2015
The case, in which Sean Connery is also cited but has not been indicted, is part of an investigation known as Goldfinger, which dates to 2010 and involves “an urban development operation linked to a plot of land in which the villa of the Connery’s was located,” the court added on Thursday.
According to the Daily Mail, the investigation is named after the 1964 James Bond film starring Connery. The case stems from allegations surrounding the sale in 1999 of their luxury seaside villa near Marbella in southern Spain for an estimate $9 million.
Sir Sean Connery's wife to stand trial over fraud allegations https://t.co/LfYBbWzmOA pic.twitter.com/GGU5yiPg9U
— Telegraph News (@TelegraphNews) November 26, 2015
The villa was subsequently torn down and a four-storey luxury apartment complex with 72 apartments was built in its place in 2004-2005, despite zoning and planning regulations which stipulated that only five homes could be constructed on the property.
The court said a summons would be sent to the couple’s home in the Bahamas to inform Sean Connery and Michelle Roquebrune of the court’s decision.