Kickboxer Jamal Ben Saddik was also convicted on Wednesday in the appeal case to a prison sentence of forty months, half of which is conditional. The 34-year-old Belgian was found guilty of forgery and money laundering of 1.2 million euros.
Ben Saddik stood trial in the court of Antwerp together with his friend Emad N. and his brother Said. They received four years and thirty months in prison respectively. The trio must also pay tens of thousands of euros in fines.
Ben Saddik, his brother and his friend helped launder money from Karim S., who had set up a money laundering circuit. The sports agent transferred illegally earned money from the Netherlands to the bank accounts of the trio.
The transfers made it appear as if legal money was being transferred, such as in the form of salary or a loan. The laundered money was used, among other things, for the purchase and renovation of a villa in Wommelgem, Belgium.
The court had already handed out similar sentences to the trio in June last year. The court again took into account previous convictions of N. and Jamal Ben Saddik on Wednesday, including for drug crimes. The court ruled that the trio is “professionally unreliable.”
Ben Saddik was in action a week and a half ago during GLORY 100 in Rotterdam. The kickboxer had to give up after a few minutes due to a leg injury. He was considered one of the favorites for the title of Last Heavyweight Standing, a tournament for 32 kickboxers.