Spain Sports News
Ex Real Madrid President, Lorenzo Sanz, arrested
By h.b. - Nov 12, 2009 - 6:15 AM
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Lorenzo Sanz - EFE archive
He was being questioned Wednesday night in Madrid police station after allegedly trying to take works of art out of the country
The ex President of Real Madrid, the businessman Lorenzo Sanz, has been arrested for trying to take works of art out of Spain illegally. Reports indicate he gave a statement to the police in a central Madrid police station at Retiro on Wednesday night, and was allowed to go home afterwards, but with charges outstanding.
His arrest by the patrimonial department of the National Police is in connection with the movement of art to Italy.
The ex President of Real Madrid has denied the allegations, and said that ‘third parties’ wanted to sell his paintings at an auction in Venice.
He was also arrested back in September 2008 during a fraud investigation brought by a bank which saw him accused of trying to cash some false IOU’s for a large sum of money. In that case he was again released after making a statement, but was called to the National Court two months later facing charges of fraud and document falsification linked to a real estate deal in Cannes in France. Finally though, the charges were dropped. That case was presented by an Italian intermediary, Desiderio Rosatto, who claimed that Sanz owed him 2.4 million €.