Luis Rubiales detained at Barajas airport… and now released – Spain

Former president of the Spanish Federation arrived in Madrid on a flight from the Dominican Republic

Former president of the Spanish federation Luis Rubiales, a suspect in a corruption case, was arrested this Wednesday and taken by police at Madrid airport, upon landing in Spain from abroad. The former leader has since been heard and, according to ‘La Vanguardia’, he has already been released, with no coercive measures being applied as it is considered that there is no danger of escape. Rubiales is now awaiting a subpoena to appear before Judge Delia Rodrigo in the coming days.

Rubiales arrived in Madrid on a commercial flight from the Dominican Republic and was approached by members of the Civil Guard (a security force similar to the Portuguese Republican National Guard) while still inside the plane, according to the television channel La Sexta, which had a team of journalists at the same flight.

The former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) was then taken away in a Civil Guard car.

Under investigation are possible irregularities in contracts at the RFEF between 2018 and 2023, when Rubiales was president of the federation, a position he abandoned following the controversy over the kiss with player Jenni Hermoso.

Rubiales denied the accusations of corruption in an interview with La Sexta television that will be broadcast in full today.

The former president of the RFEF was in the Dominican Republic when last week he was notified by the court, and his defense informed the judge in the case that he was out of Spain for work reasons, that he would return to the country on April 6th and that he would remain at home. “total disposition” of the authorities.

Rubiales ended up anticipating his return to Spain and landed this morning in Madrid, after on Monday the accommodation he was staying in in the Dominican Republic was the target of searches by elements of the Civil Guard in collaboration with authorities in the American country, according to the ‘ Spanish media.

As part of this investigation, several people were already arrested last week, when searches were carried out at the RFEF headquarters, in Madrid, and at Luis Rubiales’ house, in Granada, among other places.

The process affects alleged irregularities in contracts signed by the RFEF since 2018, a period in which the organization was under the presidency of Luis Rubiales and which included the holding of the Spanish Football Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.

(news updated at 1:02 pm with the release of Rubiales)

By Record with Lusa