Sean Connery denies involvement in Marbella scandal

From his home in the Bahamas, movie star Sean Connery has denied any involvement in town-planning irregularities and alleged tax fraud pertaining to his old mansion in Marbella, which had come under investigation in the so-called “Goldfinger” case.

In a sworn statement sent to the Marbella court in charge of the investigation and published in Sur newspaper, the former James Bond actor said he “had no relation with [Jesús] Gil,” the notorious former mayor of Marbella who died in 2004 after being briefly imprisoned on corruption charges.

He also denied ever knowing former Marbella urban development advisor Juan Antonio Roca, or Gil’s successor as mayor, Julián Muñoz, both of whom are in prison.

Following the actor’s statement, the court has decided to shelve the case against Connery, 83, but not that against the star’s wife, Micheline.

The court has spent three years trying to obtain the couple’s version of events concerning the sale of their house in Marbella, Casa Malibú, which is immersed in legal proceedings involving 17 defendants. A few months ago the examining judge threatened them with arrest warrants if they did not respond to the legal request. The Connerys sold Casa Malibú during the height of Gil’s urban development frenzy in the 1990s. Seventy-two luxury apartments were built on the land on which it had stood and two other adjoining plots where only five had been authorized. Allegations of tax fraud surrounded the subsequent sale of the properties.